TRANSPORT

Cycling: Safety

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 19 December 2013, Official Report, column 746W, on cycle safety, if he will publish a breakdown of spending on cycling in each of the last five years.

Robert Goodwill: The breakdown of funding on cycling over this administration from 2010 to present is as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2014-15 36 
			 2013-14 100 
			 2012-13 56 
			 2011-12 23 
			 2010-11 63 
		
	
	In addition, 94 out of 96 Local Sustainable Transport Fund projects include cycling as an element in their delivery programmes; these 94 projects receive a total of £535 million of DFT funding.
	The previous Administration provided Cycling England with £140 million from 2008 to 2011.

Driving: Licensing

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the potential benefits of requiring new drivers to display a probationary plate on the vehicle they are driving for three years after qualification.

Robert Goodwill: None. There is no probationary period for new drivers and no requirement to display a 'P' plate. However, the Transport Research Laboratory Report on “Novice Drivers: Evidence review and Evaluation Pre-Driver Training, Graduated Driver Licensing” made a number of recommendations on novice driver safety. One recommendation was that on successful completion of the driving test a driver would be permitted to progress to a probationary licence from age 18. During the 12 month (minimum) probationary licence the driver would be required to display a green 'P' plate to identify their licence status and aid enforcement of other recommended restrictions.

Government Departments: Unmanned Air Vehicles

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 16 January 2014, Official Report, column 655W, on unmanned air vehicles, which Government departments have used unmanned systems to collect data; which unmanned systems are used; and which policies are so supported. [R]

Robert Goodwill: The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Home Department have given presentations to the Government Working Group on the use they made of remotely piloted aircraft systems. For details in respect of the systems they have used and the policies supported, I would refer you to the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May) and the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson).

Motorcycles: Safety

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to launch road safety educational programmes to prevent death and injury for motorcyclists in the next year.

Robert Goodwill: The Department is exploring how best to develop a THINK! campaign that reminds drivers to look longer for all vehicles, including motorcyclists, at junctions.
	We know that motorcyclists losing control is a leading cause in fatalities. Hence our emphasis on working in partnership with motorcycling retailers and stakeholders, as highlighted through our 'Stay in control' campaign. We will continue to engage with motorcyclists through our digital and social channels, for example, we have developed a THINK! Biker Facebook group, which engages a large community of bikers to communicate road safety messages.

Parking

Simon Reevell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward legislative proposals containing provisions similar to those in the Responsible Parking Bill (Scotland) and applying to the rest of the UK.

Robert Goodwill: We have no plans to introduce similar legislation. Local authorities in England already have powers to permit or prohibit pavement parking, parking at dropped kerbs and double parking, and to enforce restrictions with penalty charges. They also have powers to remove vehicles that are causing an obstruction.

Ports: EU Action

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the potential effects of the EU port services regulation on UK ports; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: My assessment of the potential effects of this proposed regulation was set out in the relevant Explanatory Memorandum (EM 10154/13) and in my subsequent letters of 12 November last to the Chairmen of the Scrutiny Committees, particularly in the impact checklist attached thereto. The Government's view is that encouraging fair competition between ports is the best way to secure efficiency within them, and that regulation of ports that already operate in a fully competitive environment, and that are already subject (as are other commercial businesses) to national and European competition law, should be kept to the necessary minimum.

Ports: EU Action

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the UK's Representation to the EU's negotiating mandate is regarding the proposed EU port services regulation.

Stephen Hammond: The Government's approach to this proposed regulation is founded on the understanding that the UK ports sector continues to operate efficiently, and to invest vigorously in a competitive environment with minimal call upon the taxpayer. We aim to ensure that, should this proposal become law in some form, it does so in a manner which will not impose unwarranted regulatory burdens on ports that are fully competitive, but will promote financial transparency in those that are not.

Ports: EU Action

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what date the European Council will next discuss the proposed EU port services regulation.

Stephen Hammond: The Greek presidency has provisionally scheduled Council Working Group discussions on 18 and 25 February and has included the proposal on its provisional agenda for the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council on 5-6 June.

Railways: Dawlish

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the cost of repairing the damage to the railway line at Dawlish.

Stephen Hammond: This is an ongoing operational matter for Network Rail.

Railways: Dawlish

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost of repairing the damage to the railway line at Dawlish was after the 2012 floods.

Stephen Hammond: This is an operational matter for Network Rail.

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the Government's commitment to give due consideration to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) when making new policy and legislation, if he will place in the Library all assessments of how new policy and legislation from his Department since January 2013 has given due consideration to the UNCRC.

Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport is committed to considering the impact of all new policies and legislation, including where they impact specifically on children and young people. While the Department has not taken specific steps to assess the compatibility of its policies with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, in line with Article 12 of the UNCRC we have consulted young people and their representatives, such as the British Youth Council and the Youth Transport Select Committee, on a range of issues, including the availability of public transport in rural areas and the accessibility of transport for disabled children and young people, to ensure that the best interests of children and young people are represented within our work.
	Many of the rights conferred by the UNCRC overlap with rights contained in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). To demonstrate compatibility with individuals' convention rights, the Department also completed ECHR memoranda when introducing the following legislation during 2013: the High Speed Rail (Preparation) Bill, the High Speed Rail (London to West Midlands) Bill, the HGV Road User Levy Bill, and the Marine Navigation (No. 2) Bill.
	More widely, the coalition Government is due to report to the UN Committee responsible for the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child shortly. The Department for Education is co-ordinating the response with contributions from other Government Departments, including the work that the Department for Transport has undertaken. Once the Government has submitted its response to the UN Committee, a copy will be placed in the House Library.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Children: Abuse

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Attorney-General how many local authorities have signed up to the information-sharing protocol for cases of child abuse launched in November 2013 by the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Oliver Heald: I refer the hon. Member to the oral answer I gave to the right hon. Member for Delyn (Mr Hanson) and the hon. Member for North Tyneside (Mrs Glindon) today.

Harassment: Prosecutions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions were commenced by the Crown Prosecution Service for harassment in each of the last six years; and of these how many were domestic-violence flagged.

Oliver Heald: The Protection from Harassment Act 1997 defines the offence of harassment under s.2 and putting people in fear of violence under S.4. The records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) identify the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in magistrates courts, rather than the number of defendants prosecuted or the outcome of proceedings.
	The following table shows the number of offences under the Protection from Harassment Act in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing and it also gives the numbers that were flagged as domestic violence. A single defendant may be prosecuted for multiple offences.
	
		
			 s.2 and s.4 Protection from Harassment Act 1997 
			  2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Not domestic violence flagged 4,807 4,200 3,985 4,051 3,627 3,607 
		
	
	
		
			 Domestic violence flagged 4,611 4,985 5,676 6,396 5,887 5,073 
			 Total1 9,418 9,185 9,661 10,447 9,514 8,680 
			 1 The CPS collects data to assist in the effective management of its prosecution functions. The CPS does not collect data which constitutes official statistics as defined in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. These data have been drawn from the CPS's administrative IT system, which (as with any large scale recording system) is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the CPS. 
		
	
	In addition to offences under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, the harassment of another or others could be prosecuted under a range of offences such as those under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, the Sexual Offences Act 2003, and the Malicious Communications Act 1988.

Procurement

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Attorney-General how many staff of each grade in the Law Officers' Departments have the authority to make a purchase; what proportion of those staff have professional procurement qualifications; and what the key indicators used to assess procurement officers' performance are.

Oliver Heald: Purchasing within the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) falls into two discrete areas. Contracts exceeding £5,000 are agreed and managed centrally by the Procurement and Commercial Services Team. The central team also establishes national frameworks for the supply of common goods and services. Purchases below £5,000 which fall outside of national frameworks are usually managed locally.
	The Procurement and Commercial Services Team is formed of seven staff (one x Grade 7, two x SEO, three x HEO and one x EO). The Grade 7 is MCIPS qualified and one of the SEO's is FCIPS qualified. Of the remaining five staff, three are currently studying for CIPS qualifications. In addition the team has two apprentices who are both employed on one year fixed-term contracts. Any contracts that exceed the financial delegated authority of the team members are referred to senior managers for approval.
	Staff performance in the central procurement team is monitored via a number of indicators. Each agrees personal objectives as part of the department's appraisal process, these include indicators linked to value for money, supplier management and timely completion of procurement projects. Team members are assessed against the Cabinet Office's Procurement Profession Skills and Competency Framework and personnel development plans are tailored in accordance with the assessment. In addition to monitoring individual performance, the department's procurement function has been independently certified by CIPS.
	There are also 1,811 staff in the Crown Prosecution Service with delegated authority to make a purchase. The following table shows the numbers of such staff by grade.
	
		
			 Grade Number 
			 AA 5 
			 AO 166 
			 EO 509 
		
	
	
		
			 HEO 260 
			 SEO 118 
			 Grade 7 568 
			 Grade 6 110 
			 Grade 6/SCS 1 Equivalent 43 
			 Senior Civil Servant 13 
			 Grade not recorded on CPS financial delegation database 19 
		
	
	The Department does not hold central records of the professional procurement qualifications of all members of staff. To provide this information would involve checking with all staff across the CPS and would incur disproportionate costs.
	The CPS Procurement and Commercial Services Team Professional also provides support on purchasing for the Treasury Solicitor's Department (TSol), Attorney-General's Office (AGO) and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate under a shared service agreement. There is a signed Partnership Agreement agreed each year, and agreed planned activities and key performance measures are monitored on a monthly basis. Procurement officer performance is assessed by the CPS.
	TSol do not maintain a central record of the number of staff by grade who have the authority to make a purchase and could. only provide this information at a disproportionate cost. The majority of TSol purchase relate to litigation cases handled on behalf of clients. Case holders, primarily Grade 6 or Grade 7 lawyers, have the authority to instruct counsel and procure services to progress these cases. TSol currently employ approximately 500 case holders and they generally do not hold professional procurement qualifications. Other purchases of legal services are primarily authorised at the senior civil service level and except for low value items, non-framework purchases relating to corporate services require the involvement of the Procurement and Commercial Services team in CPS.
	The Serious Fraud Office has 92 staff that are approved to submit requisitions for goods or services. These requisitions must be approved by a member of the delegated panel which consists of 35 staff. The number of staff at each grade who have the authority to approve requisitions are provided in the following table.
	
		
			 Authorisers Number 
			 SCS 13 
			 G6 7 
			 G7 10 
			 SEO 4 
			 EO 1 
			 Total 35 
		
	
	SFO's procurement policy requires staff with delegated authority to involve the procurement team in any purchase over £10,000. There are currently two staff in the procurement team, at HEO and G7, and the senior member is qualified to MCIPS level. The procurement team are set objectives in their annual forward job plans which are in line with central Government targets. Performance against these objectives are monitored and evaluated through the SFO's staff annual appraisal system. The SFO does not hold a central record of any procurement qualifications that may be held by staff outside of the procurement team.

Stalking: Prosecutions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions were commenced by the Crown Prosecution Service in 2012-13 for (a) stalking and (b) stalking involving fear of serious violence or alarm or distress.

Oliver Heald: The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 created two new offences of stalking by inserting new sections 2A and 4A into the Protection from Harassment Act 1997. The new offences came into force on 25 November 2012, are not retrospective, and provide further options for prosecutors to consider when selecting charges. The records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), replicated in the following table, identify the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in magistrates courts, rather than the number of defendants prosecuted or the outcome of proceedings. A single defendant may be prosecuted for multiple offences.
	
		
			   Number of offences1 
			 Act/Section Offence 2012-13 2013-142 
			 Protection from Harassment Act 1997 {2A(l)and(4)} Stalking without fear/alarm/distress 72 350 
			 Protection from Harassment Act 1997 {4A(l)(a)(b)(i)and(5)} Stalking involving fear of violence 9 32 
			 Protection from Harassment Act 1997 {4A(l)(a)(b)(ii)and(5)} Stalking involving serious alarm/distress 10 93 
			 1 The CPS collects data to assist in the effective management of its prosecution functions. The CPS does not collect data which constitutes official statistics as defined in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. This data has been drawn from the CPS's administrative IT system, which (as with any large scale recording system) is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the CPS. 2 Recorded data from April 2013 to December 2013.

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Paul Burstow: To ask the Attorney-General with reference to the Government's commitment to give due consideration to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) when making new policy and legislation, if he will place in the Library all assessments of how new policy and legislation from the Law Officers' Departments since January 2013 has given due consideration to the UNCRC.

Oliver Heald: The Law Officers' Departments are fully committed to considering the impact on children of all new policies and legislation. The Law Officers' Departments are primarily operational and do not routinely make policy and legislation. Therefore, the Attorney-General's Office, the Treasury Solicitor's Department, HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate and the Serious Fraud Office have made no new legislation or policy since January 2013.
	During 2013, the Crown Prosecution Service published new policies on prosecuting cases involving communications sent via social media and prosecuting child sexual abuse. There was no explicit assessment of their compatibility of the UNCRC. However, the policies were carefully developed to ensure compatibility with human rights, including the rights of children. The policies were consulted on, including consultation with groups representing victims of child sexual abuse. The policy on prosecution of child sexual abuse was designed to ensure that child victims and witnesses are given as much support as possible during the criminal justice process.
	More widely, the coalition Government is due to report to the UN Committee responsible for the UN convention on the rights of the child shortly. The Department for Education is co-ordinating the response with contributions from other Government Departments. Once the Government has submitted its response to the UN Committee, a copy will be placed in the House Library.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

British Nationals Abroad: Capital Punishment

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the number of UK nationals on death rows internationally; and what legal support his Department has provided to each such national.

Mark Simmonds: Globally, there are currently 13 British nationals under sentence of death. We are aware of more than 60 facing trial for offences which could attract the death penalty. The British Government opposes the death penalty in all circumstances. To this end, we lobby globally for its abolition and we make representations to governments who retain the death penalty and conduct executions.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office provides consular assistance to British nationals sentenced to death. Each case demands a different approach, tailored to the individual circumstances. We make representations and raise cases at the appropriate level, including at Prime ministerial level. We can offer basic information about the local legal system, including on the availability of legal aid. We also refer British nationals to UK based specialist non-governmental organisations who are able to provide legal support to them. We cannot provide funding for legal assistance in any cases, including death penalty cases.

Buildings

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of the office space owned or leased by his Department is not in regular use; what the total (a) rental and (b) retail value is of all such unused office space; and if he will place in the Library a copy of his most recent departmental real estate valuation.

David Lidington: The majority of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO's) UK office space is always in regular use. Work is currently underway to consolidate our London headquarters into one building in King Charles Street by the beginning of November 2015. This will save around £5 million a year in running costs for the FCO and free up the Old Admiralty Building for use by another Government Department. Staff will be moved between King Charles Street and the Old Admiralty Building while refurbishments take place and there will be no spare office space in either of these buildings. Once the project is completed, the King Charles Street offices are expected to be fully occupied.
	Overseas, the FCO runs an estate comprising more than 5,000 properties in 250 locations worldwide. Our portfolio is regularly reviewed to ensure we are getting value for money and maintaining a fit-for-purpose estate.

Council of Europe

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on bloc voting by EU member states on the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe when the EU accedes to the ECHR; whether the Government has taken any steps to prevent bloc voting (a) generally and (b) in respect of future matters to which the European Union is itself a party; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: The Government is well aware that there is a delicately balanced dynamic in the Committee of Ministers which could be upset if the EU, representing the majority of member states, were routinely to vote as a bloc. The detail of the EU's voting rights in the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has not yet been agreed. The details of how accession will operate will be set out in the EU internal rules. The Commission is yet to bring forward a proposal in respect of the internal rules.
	Following the EU's accession to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), the EU will co-ordinate in the Committee of Ministers where EU law requires and no further. This will be provided for in the Accession Agreement between the EU and the Council of Europe. Article 7(4) of the draft Accession Agreement sets out the circumstances in which the EU and its member states will vote in a co-ordinated manner in the Committee of Ministers and how the effective exercise of the Committee of Ministers' supervisory functions will be maintained.
	The UK's final position on the EU's accession to the European convention on human rights will only be formed on the basis of the whole package of necessary measures, including the internal rules and the Accession Agreement between the EU and the Council of Europe. Accession is subject to unanimity in the Council of the European Union.

Criminal Investigation

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which organisation his Department and its subsidiary bodies use to tackle internal instances of crime, including corruption and fraud; and whether he has designated this organisation or any individual within it to grant authorisation for carrying out directed surveillance under section 28 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.

David Lidington: When allegations of crime on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Estate are received, the FCO has internal mechanisms to carry out initial investigation. The FCO Counter Fraud Team deals with allegations of financial crime. The Estates and Security Directorate deals with all other allegations. If there is evidence of a crime, the matter would be referred to police or the National Crime Agency to investigate further in the case of local staff directly employed by missions overseas the initial investigation would be considered by senior management at Post and if there is evidence of crime could be referred to local police.
	The FCO does not currently conduct or see the need to conduct directed surveillance operations where a section 28 authorisation would be necessary.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the treatment in Democratic Republic of Congo of failed asylum seekers returned by the Government.

James Brokenshire: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Home Department.
	The Home Office expects to publish a country policy bulletin for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on the Home Office website in February 2014.
	This bulletin confirms the UK's position on returns to the DRC and contains information from other EU states, Canada and Australia. Both the High Courts of England and Wales and the High Court in Ireland concluded in 2013 that failed asylum seekers per se are not at risk of ill treatment on return to the DRC.

Egypt

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what talks his Department has had with the current Egyptian government on restoring democratic elections in Egypt.

Hugh Robertson: As a friend, the UK is committed to seeing Egypt succeed. I discussed Egypt's political transition with the Deputy Foreign Minister when I visited Cairo in December. When The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), spoke to Foreign Minister Fahmy about these issues on 7 January he noted the importance of the referendum, allowing millions of Egyptians to express their views through the ballot box, but raised his concerns about the closure of political space. Simon Fraser, Permanent Under-Secretary, raised the importance of a real democratic transition with Foreign Minister Fahmy during his visit to Egypt on 26-27 January.

Equal Pay

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the level of the gender pay gap at senior grades in his Department.

Hugh Robertson: The FCO is committed to ensure equal pay regardless of gender. We continually assess equal pay including for staff working at senior civil service levels. Where diversity data highlight discrepancies between groups, we take appropriate action to understand and address any issues.

Hezbollah

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if his Department will proscribe the whole of Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation.

James Brokenshire: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Home Department.
	The UK proscribed Hezbollah's External Security Organisation in 2001. In 2008 the proscription was extended to include the whole of Hezbollah's military apparatus, namely the Jihad Council and all the units reporting to it. It is Government policy not to comment on whether, or not, a group is under consideration for proscription.

Hezbollah

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the threat of Hezbollah to the UK's national interests;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made of Hezbollah fundraising activities in the (a) UK, (b) EU and (c) rest of the world.

James Brokenshire: I have been asked tor reply on behalf of the Home Department.
	It is long-standing Government practice not to comment on intelligence assessments.

Housing

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will discuss with his Ministerial colleagues the potential effect of the Government's response to the report on UK housing by the UN Special Rapporteur on adequate housing on the UK's relations with the Human Rights Council.

David Lidington: The Government's response to the report of the UN Special Rapporteur on adequate housing is in two parts. Preliminary comments were posted on the website of the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), indicating our view that the report contained inaccuracies. A fuller formal response from DCLG and the Department for Work and Pensions will be published in due course.
	Where the Government disagrees with the findings of a UN Special Rapporteur it is of course entitled to say so. This does not affect the UK's support for Special Procedures. The Government has a standing invitation to all UN Special Rapporteurs to visit the UK and works cooperatively with them.

Israel

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the regional effect of the Government's approach to trade with Israel.

Hugh Robertson: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not made any assessment of the regional effect of the Government's approach to trade with Israel.

Libya

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what current financial aid commitments the UK has in Libya.

Hugh Robertson: The UK has committed more than £23 million on work to support stability and reform in Libya. We expect our commitment next financial year (FY 2014-15) to rise to almost £30 million. This work is delivered through three strategically linked initiatives.
	The Arab Partnership Participation Fund supports local and international non-governmental organisations which promote political participation, public voice and freedom of expression, and good governance. We are delivering £1.9 million of political reform support this financial year.
	The Middle East and North Africa Conflict Pool is focused on initiatives to support security and stability. This financial year we are delivering conflict projects in Libya worth almost £17.5 million and expect this to rise next year to £25 million. This includes our long-term commitment through the Security Justice and Defence programme to support the Libyan Government to strengthen the capability, accountability and responsiveness of its security, justice and defence sectors.
	In addition, the Arab Partnership Economic Facility, managed by the Department for International Development, encourages the development of the private sector, supports economic participation by women and young people, and is helping to develop stronger public financial management. We are providing £3.9 million of economic reform support in Libya this financial year.

Montenegro

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to ensure that the Government of Montenegro settles all outstanding compensation or restitution claims for illegally seized property in that country as part of the pre-qualifying criteria for admission into the EU.

David Lidington: The criteria for EU accession for Montenegro and other candidate countries include a requirement to implement measures to ensure that the rule of law is firmly embedded within the judicial and political system.
	The European Commission's annual progress reports on Montenegro have included specific concerns around restitution claims in 2011, 2012 and 2013. The UK considers that the process of EU accession negotiations provides the best vehicle to drive forward further progress in this area.
	Robust action plans on rule of law issues have been adopted by Montenegro to address the challenges it faces in this area, and the EU and its member states will continuously monitor its progress. Montenegro will only be able to close negotiation chapters once it meets the relevant benchmarks, and will therefore become an EU member only when all EU member states are satisfied that it is ready.

Montenegro

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to view the restitution of, or compensation for, property seized in Montenegro and in which UK citizens have an interest as one of the benchmarks in determining his support for Montenegro's application to join the EU.

David Lidington: The criteria for EU accession for Montenegro and other candidate countries include a requirement to implement measures to ensure that the rule of law is firmly embedded within the judicial and political system.
	The European Commission's annual progress reports on Montenegro have included specific concerns around restitution claims in 2011, 2012 and 2013. The UK considers that the process of EU accession negotiations provides the best vehicle to drive forward further progress in this area.
	Robust action plans on rule of law issues have been adopted by Montenegro to address the challenges it faces in this area, and the EU and its member states will continuously monitor its progress. Montenegro will only be able to close negotiation chapters once it meets the relevant benchmarks, and will therefore become an EU member only when all EU member states are satisfied that it is ready.

Northern Ireland

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assets his Department has sold in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; and what the value of each such sale was.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not bought or sold any assets in Northern Ireland in the last five years.

Philippines

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he had on human rights during his recent visit to the Philippines; and what representations he made to his interlocutors in support of the UN Convention Against Torture and the rule of law in that country.

Hugo Swire: During his visit to the Philippines in January, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), had wide-ranging discussions with the President, Vice President and Secretary for Foreign Affairs, in which he covered human rights in Philippines, including progress on the Mindanao peace talks. He did not raise the UN Convention Against Torture.
	In his meeting with the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, the Foreign Secretary also raised the hope that the UK and the Philippines would work together on global human rights issues such as those arising from the situation in Syria. In addition, the Foreign Secretary delivered a speech focussing on the importance of values, including respect for human rights, in facilitating Asia's growth in the 21st century.

Politics and Government: Females

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which programmes and funds are currently provided by his Department to promote women's political and public participation; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: The Human Rights and Democracy Programme (HRDP) is the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)'s dedicated fund supporting human rights and democracy work overseas. The programme aims to make a difference to people's lives, helping to build the capacity of governments and civil society to promote and protect human rights. During 2013-14, we supported over 80 projects worldwide, including projects which promote women's political and public participation.
	We have been supporting democratic and economic reform in the middle east through political advocacy, by working with multilateral organisations, and by supporting reform programmes, including through our £110 million Arab Partnership Fund. The UK will lead a series of initiatives in the transition countries aimed at promoting investment, encouraging the development of a vibrant private sector (especially small and medium-sized enterprises) and supporting economic participation by women and young people.
	Through bilateral and multilateral engagement, the FCO will continue to support legislative programmes in other countries to promote gender equality and women's empowerment and to tackle violence against women, and will work to raise the profile of these issues internationally.
	In addition, our overseas posts have the Bilateral Programme Fund which aims to fund small, targeted projects which support issues of strategic importance to the UK which seeks to create real, measurable outcomes in support of the UK's foreign policy goals, including political and economic participation by women.

South Sudan

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to help resolve the ongoing conflict in South Sudan; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Simmonds: With our Troika partners, we have been supporting the regional organisation, Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), in the establishment of a monitoring verification mechanism to oversee the implementation of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement. We have provided an expert to the Advance Party of the ceasefire oversight committee (“Joint Technical Committee”) which arrived in Juba on 2 February.
	The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has spoken with the Ugandan and South Sudanese Presidents to encourage a peaceful resolution. In my meetings with the South Sudanese, Ethiopian, Kenyan, Sudanese and Ugandan Foreign Ministers at the African Union Summit, I made clear that the cessation of hostilities must lead to a genuinely inclusive national reconciliation process that strengthens the unity of South Sudan. Our envoy to the South Sudan Talks is in Ethiopia this week to support the IGAD-led talks, which were due to resume on 11 February.

Syria

Mary Macleod: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps he has taken to protect Christians in Syria.

Hugh Robertson: We are extremely concerned about the situation of the Christian community in Syria. Ultimately their position can only be truly secured by finding a political solution to the crisis. The UK has been central to efforts to support the Geneva II process as it looks to bring about a political transition through the implementation of the Geneva communiqué. The opposition National Coalition, whose negotiation efforts we support, are committed to the communiqué and its guarantees of the rights, interests and participation of all components of Syrian society. We are continuing to encourage the National Coalition to build on their appeal and effectiveness over the extremists. We are also funding the training of religious and community leaders from Christian and other religious and ethnic communities in active citizenship and dialogue skills in order to help reduce community tensions.

Ukraine

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to his counterpart in Ukraine on political unrest in that country.

David Lidington: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 30 January 2014, Official Report, column 690W.
	We remain concerned about the situation in Ukraine. We are monitoring developments closely and continue to coordinate our response, with our international partners. Our immediate priority is restoring stability and helping Ukraine onto a path of political reform.

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the Government's commitment to give due consideration to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) when making new policy and legislation, if he will place in the Library all assessments of how new policy and legislation from his Department since January 2013 has given due consideration to the UNCRC.

David Lidington: The Government is committed to making further progress on implementing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), by ensuring that due consideration is given to the UNCRC Articles when developing new policies and legislation.
	The coalition Government is due to report to the UN Committee responsible for the UN convention on the rights of the child shortly. The Department for Education is co-ordinating the response with contributions from other Government Departments, including the work that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has undertaken. Once the Government has submitted its response to the UN Committee, a copy will be placed in the House Library.

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library all assessments of new policy and legislation from his Department since January 2013 which give due consideration to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

David Lidington: The Government is committed to making further progress on implementing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), by ensuring that due consideration is given to the UNCRC Articles when developing new policies and legislation.
	We are due to report to the UN Committee responsible for the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child shortly. The Department for Education is co-ordinating the response with contributions from other Government Departments, including the work that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has undertaken. Once the Government has submitted its response to the UN Committee, a copy will be placed in the Library of the House.

EDUCATION

Al-Madinah School

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to his response of 29 January 2014 to the hon. member for Cardiff West, Official Report, column 934, if he will release the qualifications of the teachers at the Al Madinah Free School in Derby at the beginning of the September 2013 school term.

Edward Timpson: The following table is based on unvalidated, anonymised information provided by the former Chair of the Al-Madinah Education Trust.
	
		
			 Qualifications of Al-Madinah staff 
			 Staff 1 — 
			 Staff 2 BSc (Hons) Maths/PGCE Secondary Maths/QTS 
			 Staff 3 — 
			 Staff 4 MA in Special Education Needs 
			 Staff 5 BA in Education/QTS 
			 Staff 6 Higher National Diploma in Science/PGCE Secondary Science/QTS 
			 Staff 7 BA in Drama/Cache level 3 in Childcare/Early Years Professional Status 
			 Staff 8 BA in History/PGCE/QTS 
			 Staff 9 PhD in Philosophy 
			 Staff 10 MA in European Studies 
			 Staff 11 BSc in Biomedical Sciences/QTS 
			 Staff 12 — 
			 Staff 13 BSc in Maths and Business/PGCE in Maths/QTS 
			 Staff 14 QTS/NQT 
			 Staff 15 — 
			 Staff 16 BA Combined Honours in Theology with Art and Design/PGCE QTS 
			 Staff 17 BSc (Hons) in Business Information Systems/PGCE in /QTS 
			 Staff 18 BEng in Manufacturing Engineering/PGCE QTS 
			 Staff 19 BSc in Business Information Systems/Postgraduate Certificate in Early Years Leadership/ QTS 
			 Staff 20 BSc in Paper Science with Management/PGCE/QTS 
			 Staff 21 BA in Art/PGCE/QTS 
		
	
	
		
			 Staff 22 BA in Education Studies and English/QTS 
			 Staff 23 PGCE in Primary/QTS/NQT 
			 Staff 24 BA in English with Linguistics/PGCE/QTS 
			 Staff 25 PHD in Philosophy/QTS

Children: Protection

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on multi-agency safeguarding hubs.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education and the Home Office are in ongoing contact on local multi-agency information sharing models, including multi-agency safeguarding hubs and related issues at a range of levels.

Custody

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to increase fathers' access to their children following a divorce; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Timpson: The Government recognises that a father's role in his child's life is a very important one. We are taking forward legislation in the Children and Families Bill which reflects the importance of children having a continuing relationship with both of their parents following family separation, so long as it is safe to do so and in the child's best interests.

Families: Disadvantaged

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer from the Minister for Housing of 22 January 2014, Official Report, column 212W, on families: disadvantaged, what criteria his Department uses to assess the success and value for money of its contribution to that programme.

Edward Timpson: The success and value for money of the Troubled Families programme is currently being assessed via an independent national evaluation. Further information is available online1.
	This work is ongoing and initial findings will be available later this year.
	1Available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/news/study-to-assess-impact-of-troubled-families-work

Foster Care

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 10 December 2013, Official Report, column 213W, on foster care, what activities local authorities are undertaking to support recruitment and retention of foster carers.

Edward Timpson: Three Government-funded consortia partnerships of local authorities and independent fostering agencies are developing a range of innovative solutions to broaden the range of people who foster. The programme is enabling local authorities to find new ways of working collaboratively with the independent sector to meet the challenge of recruiting and retaining foster carers.
	In addition, the Fostering Network is being funded to undertake surveys benchmarking local authorities on key indices of recruitment and retention of foster carers; and determining foster carers values using a methodology called Values Mode. They are now using the results of these surveys to support 14 local authorities to improve their strategies for recruiting and retaining foster carers. Another 11 local authorities will be supported in 2014-15.

ICT: Education

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how many staff will be employed on the Year of Code Campaign; how many such staff were appointments from outside his Department; and where such jobs were advertised;
	(2)  when the head of the Year of Code Campaign was appointed; where this vacancy was advertised prior to appointment; how the successful candidate was chosen; and what their salary is;
	(3)  how many teachers he expects to receive training under the Year of Code campaign.

Elizabeth Truss: The Year of Code campaign launched on 4 February 2014 is an independent campaign and not a Government initiative. The Government was not involved in the appointments of the head of the campaign or any members of staff. The campaign website is:
	http://www.yearofcode.org/
	The Government is doing a great deal to get teachers ready to teach the new computing curriculum. We have been working with the British Computer Society since last year and have established the Network of Teaching Excellence for computer science teachers. This programme is forging links between schools, universities and employers. The aim is to build a network of around 400 'Master Teachers' over the next two years, who will be available for schools to commission to provide training for their teachers.
	In December 2013 we announced funding of £1.1 million for the BCS (the British Computer Society—the Chartered Institute for IT) to develop a computing readiness programme aimed specifically at primary school teachers with no prior experience of computer science. The project will provide online resources, in-school workshops, outreach activities and create local support groups within the Network of Teaching Excellence in Computer Science—reaching at least 20,000 teachers.
	We have also announced a £500,000 matched fund to support projects that will improve the teaching of the new computing curriculum. The Government will match funding from industry and business, allowing new and existing teachers to be trained by the experts.

Military Bases

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of the hon. Member for South West Wiltshire of 11 November 2013, Official Report, column 412W, if he will have meetings with the Secretary of State for Defence and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on the re-basing of troops to the local authorities in which (a) Dalton Barracks, Abingdon, (b) Kendrews Barracks, Cottesmore and (c) Imjin Barracks, Gloucester are situated.

Elizabeth Truss: Ministers at the Department for Education regularly meet colleagues from both the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Ministry of Defence to discuss a range of matters, including provision for the families of armed forces personnel.
	Supporting local authorities in creating additional school places where they are needed is one of the Department's top priorities.

Northern Ireland

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assets his Department has sold in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; and what the value of each such sale was.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education does not hold any assets in Northern Ireland and has no record of having sold any such assets in the last five years.

Pupils: Tagging

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on child protection issues.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education and the Department of Health are in ongoing contact on child protection and related issues at a range of levels. This includes joined up working between the two chief social workers.

Schools: Discipline

Mary Macleod: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance his Department issues to schools on how to identify and address the root causes of poor behaviour and absenteeism.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education has issued advice on behaviour and discipline for schools. This advice is clear that schools should assess the needs of pupils who persistently misbehave and consider whether the continuing disruptive behaviour is a result of unmet educational or other needs. At this point, the school should consider whether a multi-agency assessment is necessary.
	The Department has published advice on school attendance and statutory guidance on parental responsibility measures for school attendance and behaviour. These have been produced to help schools and local authorities maintain high levels of school attendance and provide information about the interventions available to address pupils' poor attendance and behaviour at school.
	Levels of persistent absenteeism have fallen from 6.1% in 2010-11 to 5.2% in 2011-12.

Staff

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of staff of (a) his Department and (b) agencies and public bodies accountable to him work outside of London; and in which local authorities such staff are located.

Elizabeth Truss: The proportion of staff working outside London in the Department for Education and its agencies is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Proportion of staff working outside London (%) 
			 Department for Education 46.2 
			 Education Funding Agency 67.1 
			 National College for Teaching and Leadership 92.3 
			 Standards and Testing Agency 65.2 
		
	
	The Department has offices based in the following local authority areas: Bristol City, Coventry City, Darlington Borough, Guildford Borough, Cambridgeshire County, Westminster City, Manchester City, Nottingham City, Halton Borough and Sheffield City.

Students: Finance

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will consider reversing the reductions in funding for full-time education places for 18 year olds announced by his Department in January 2014.

Matthew Hancock: We have to make the funding reduction for 18-year-olds in order to live within the Department for Education's funding settlement at the spending round 2013, which was reduced at the autumn statement of December 2013.
	The published impact assessment of the reduction in funding for 18-year-olds sets out why it was the least detrimental of the options for savings that we considered. We will consider whether we can afford to introduce measures to mitigate its impact on individual colleges.

Teachers: Training

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what funds were provided for bursaries for trainee religious education teachers in each of the last five years.

David Laws: The training bursary budget is set for each academic year to cover all subjects that attract a training bursary. There is no specific budget allocated per subject. In each academic year there is an assumed budget, and from 2012/13 an estimated degree classification split, for training bursaries payable based on the total number of places allocated.
	Decisions on bursaries are taken by Ministers each year and are informed by recruitment performance.
	
		
			  Bursary level (RE) 
			 2009/10 £9,000 (mainstream bursary for all applicants) 
			 2010/11 £6,000 (mainstream bursary for all applicants) 
			 2011/12 No bursary allocated 
			 2012/13 £9,000 (first class degree) 
			  £5,000 (upper second degree) 
			 2013/14 No bursary allocated

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Criminal Investigation

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which organisation his Department and its subsidiary bodies use to tackle internal instances of crime, including corruption and fraud; and whether he has designated this organisation or any individual within it to grant authorisation for carrying out directed surveillance under section 28 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.

Jennifer Willott: If an employee of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) was suspected of criminal conduct this would be investigated initially under the BIS Conduct Rules/Discipline Policy.
	Depending on the nature of the suspected criminal conduct, investigations may be carried out by BIS employees eg a BIS manager, a member of the BIS Security/Fraud Team, the Internal Audit team. On occasion, an investigation may need to be pursued by an independent external investigator or, in the case of issues raised about one of our Partner Organisations this may be investigated by, for example, the official auditor for that Organisation. In an instance of criminal conduct the matter would be reported to the police.
	The Department has responsibility for investigating criminal allegations referred to it, principally from the Insolvency Service, in relation to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), oversight of the Company and Insolvency regimes.
	BIS is authorised to deploy powers under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) including the ability to undertake Directed Surveillance. However, the legislation, which is overseen by the Office of the Surveillance Commissioner, demands that very clear criteria including those of necessity and proportionality be demonstrated.
	Within BIS, the RIPA regime is overseen by the Investigation Officers Branch of Legal A. As a policy, the Department does not confirm or deny the use of surveillance for criminal complaints. However, as stated, where an internal investigation involves criminal conduct, the matter would be reported to the police who would have primacy of the investigation including the use of any necessary and proportionate covert tactics.

Degrees

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the regulatory tests are for (a) public and (b) private institutions seeking to acquire degree awarding powers.

David Willetts: Section 76 of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 empowers the Privy Council to grant powers to institutions in England and Wales enabling them to award their own degrees. All institutions seeking to apply for such powers are subject to the same criteria.
	The criteria for institutions seeking taught and research degree awarding powers are set out in the following BIS guidance:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/32388/11-781-applications-for-degree-awarding-powers-guidance.pdf
	The criteria for institutions seeking foundation degree awarding powers are set out in the following BIS guidance:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/32389/11-782-applications-for-foundation-degree-awarding-powers-guidance.pdf

Equal Pay

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking in response to the European Parliament resolution to reduce the gender pay gap by five per cent each year and eliminate the gender pay gap by 2020.

Jennifer Willott: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Government Equalities Office.
	The Government is already taking strong action to reduce the gender pay gap. There are record numbers of women in work, women's salaries are rising, and we are transforming the workplace, for example by extending the right to request flexible working to all employees from this year, and introducing a system of shared parental leave from 2015.
	Over 160 companies are now supporting our “Think, Act, Report” initiative, collectively employing over 2 million people. It provides a simple framework for companies to think about gender equality in their workforces and identify barriers to women's progression, including pay policy. From October 2014, employment tribunals will be required to order an equal pay audit when an employer has been found to have breached equal pay laws.

Northern Ireland

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assets his Department has sold in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; and what the value of each such sale was.

Jennifer Willott: The Department has not sold any assets in Northern Ireland during the last five years.

Nuclear Engineering

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what criteria local authorities will have to meet when bidding for the proposed nuclear engineering college to be located within their area.

Matthew Hancock: We are still at an early stage of developing our detailed plans for establishing the new elite college, and will be considering all aspects of this with the nuclear industry. The immediate focus will be on further defining the scope and scale of the college and developing an approach for identifying a location.

Nuclear Engineering

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the timetable for the proposed nuclear engineering college will be.

David Willetts: We are still at an early stage of developing our plans for establishing the new elite college. We will be considering all aspects of the project with the nuclear industry, and a detailed timetable will be developed as part of this work.

Post Offices

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the majority of Government services are still available throughout the sub-post office network.

Jennifer Willott: The Government continues to support the Post Office's ambition to become a front office for Government services and significant progress has been made towards this in recent years in highly competitive and challenging commercial environments.
	Both the Post Office and this Department are working hard to identify and secure further opportunities, including making use of the framework Front Office Counter Services (FOCS) contract that allows Government Departments and agencies to use the Post Office network to deliver a range of counter services.
	However, it is important to note that the Government cannot simply give work to the Post Office, or any other company. Contracts must ensure fairness, innovation, and value-for-money for the taxpayer. By winning and retaining key contracts, such as the FOCS contract, the Post Office is demonstrating it can compete on these criteria.

Post Offices

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent meetings he has had with representatives of Post Office Limited to discuss investment in the sub-post office network to allow sub-postmasters to grow their businesses.

Jennifer Willott: Ministers hold regular meetings with senior representatives from Post Office Ltd to discuss a wide range of matters. In addition, officials from the Department's Shareholder Executive team maintain a close and continuous dialogue with the company.
	Since 2010, the Government has committed £1.975 billion to maintain, modernise and protect the Post Office network. This very significant public investment is helping entrepreneurial sub-postmasters develop and grow their businesses.

Science

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how his Department plans to consult the science community and industry on the content of the Science and Innovation strategy.

David Willetts: Ministers and officials have frequent engagement with the science and research community and with industry on a wide range of topics, and plan to gather input to the Science and Innovation Strategy as part of those discussions and consultations. For example, I have committed to leading a consultation with the science community on making the most of the long-term capital settlement for science and research agreed in last year's spending review. The results of that consultation will form an important part of the work on the Science and Innovation Strategy.

Students: Finance

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  whether he plans to reduce the student opportunity allocation in higher education in 2014-15;
	(2)  how many students in higher education used funding from the student opportunity allocation in 2012-13 and 2013-14;
	(3)  what assessment his Department has made of the effect of reduction in the student opportunity allocation on the ability of socially disadvantaged students to access higher education.

David Willetts: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has set out our plans in the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) Grant Letter, published on 10 February 2014.
	The Student Opportunity Fund is part of the overall Teaching Grant allocated to higher education institutions by the HEFCE. Funding is not allocated directly to individual learners. The allocations are designed to target funding towards those institutions that do more to widen participation or that recruit students who are likely to need more support.

Students: Loans

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the RAB charge on loans made to students at alternative providers.

David Willetts: We do not estimate a specific RAB charge for students at alternative providers. Our current estimate of the RAB charge across all full-time undergraduates is around 40%.

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the Government's commitment to give due consideration to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) when making new policy and legislation, if he will place in the Library all assessments of how new policy and legislation from his Department since January 2013 has given due consideration to the UNCRC.

Jennifer Willott: In a written ministerial statement to Parliament in December 2010, the Government confirmed its commitment to give due consideration to the UN convention on the rights of the child (UNCRC) articles when making new policy and legislation.
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills BIS is fully committed to considering the impact of all new policies and legislation, where they impact specifically on children. We have embedded equality analysis into the processes we use to develop, deliver and evaluate our policies, practices and services.
	BIS leads on two Bills currently before Parliament—‘Intellectual Property Bill [Lords]’ and ‘Consumer Rights Bill’. Both Bill teams have confirmed that the UNCRC was assessed before introduction of the Bills. As no significant effects were identified, a formal analysis was not published in either case.
	The data requested for secondary legislation and new policies made are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost, although prior to the introduction of new secondary legislation detailed consideration is undertaken to ensure that the statutory instrument is compatible with individual's European convention on human rights, which overlaps with the rights set out in the UNCRC.
	More widely, the coalition Government is due to report to the UN Committee responsible for the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child shortly. The Department for Education is co-ordinating the response with contributions from other Government Departments, including the work that the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has undertaken. Once the Government has submitted its response to the UN Committee, a copy will be placed in the House Library.

DEFENCE

Apache Helicopters

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps have been taken to install a buoyancy aid for embarked Apache attack helicopters.

Andrew Murrison: The contract for the design, development and procurement of flotation role equipment for the UK Apache was placed with AgustaWestland Ltd on 24 October 2013. All UK Apache Helicopters will be modified to enable them to be equipped with the flotation equipment.

Armed Forces: Housing

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel in (a) Plymouth and (b) total have been housed in hotel accommodation in each of the last 12 months; and what the cost of such accommodation has been.

Andrew Murrison: Service personnel are not housed in hotel accommodation but exceptionally may be placed in hotels as a temporary measure.

Armed Forces: Location

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 3 February 2014, Official Report, column 85W, on helicopter capabilities, where within the UK the 6,000 personnel have been relocated to.

Andrew Murrison: Further to the answer given by the Under-Secretary of State for Defence, my hon. Friend the Member for Ludlow (Mr Dunne), on 3 February 2014, Official Report, column 85W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Henley (John Howell), we have no plans to relocate 6,000 personnel within the UK as part of the investments we have made in the armed forces’ helicopter capabilities.

Cybercrime

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to improve cyber security at Ministry of Defence sites.

Mark Francois: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer my predecessor, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Leicestershire (Mr Robathan), gave to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne Central (Chi Onwurah) on 14 March 2013, Official Report, column 351W.

Defence

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when an updated version of New Operating Model: How Defence Works will be published.

Andrew Murrison: The next version of ‘How Defence Works’ will be published in April 2014. A copy will be placed in the Library of the House.

Defence Equipment and Support

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many safety critical posts exist in Defence Equipment and Support; and how many such posts are currently vacant.

Mark Francois: As at the end of December 2013, Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) had 1,362 posts designated as ‘Safety-Critical’, 98 of which were vacant. An external engineering recruitment campaign is currently under way which we expect to have a significant impact on addressing the staffing requirement. DE&S is also taking action to fill safety-critical posts from within Defence.

Defence: Procurement

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which external consultants are used by his Department regarding the formulation of its policy on reforming defence procurement; and what the cost to the public purse has been for each such consultant.

Andrew Murrison: holding answer 16 December 2013
	The Ministry of Defence has used six external consultancy companies during the Concept and Assessment Phases of the Materiel Strategy and Customer Design Programmes. The Concept Phase ran from May 2011 to April 2013; the Assessment Phase ran from April 2013 to December 2013. The consultancy costs for the Concept Phase, which analysed a number of potential operating models for the future of DE&S, were £11.2 million. The consultancy costs for the Assessment Phase, which developed the GOCO option, the internal DE&S Plus option, and the Customer Capability within Head Office were some £17.7 million. Of this £17.7 million, the consultancy costs specifically relating to the GOCO competition were £7.4 million.
	Consultancy support provides vital specialist expertise, knowledge and skills that are not available within the Department. The breakdown against the six companies involved is as follows:
	
		
			 £ million 
			 Company Concept Phase Assessment Phase Total 
			 Booz 5.3 — 5.3 
			 CVA 0.5 — 0.5 
			 LEK 3.5 5.8 9.3 
			 KPMG 1.0 7.3 8.3 
			 HSF 0.8 2.8 3.6 
			 Jacobs 0.1 1.8 1.9 
			     
			 Total 11.2 17.7 28.9 
			 Note: These figures are estimates as at 12 December, rounded to the nearest £0.1 million. The final costs will be dependent on submission of final invoices from the companies involved. 
		
	
	As the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), announced on 10 December 2013, Official Report, columns 146-48, we will build on the DE&S Plus proposition to transform DE&S within the public sector, setting it up as a bespoke central Government trading entity from April 2014.

Pay

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of (a) permanent, (b) temporary and (c) contract staff in his Department are paid the Living Wage or above.

Andrew Murrison: The following table shows the proportion of civilian staff currently employed by the Ministry of Defence and its trading funds that are paid at the rate of the living wage or above as defined by the Living Wage Foundation (LWF).
	
		
			 Department/agency Proportion of permanent staff paid at the LWF rate or higher (%) Proportion of temporary staff paid at the LWF rate or higher (%) 
			 Ministry of Defence 98.27 84.20 
			 United Kingdom Hydrographic Office 98.05 80 
			 Defence Support Group 100 70.45 
			 Defence Science and Technology Laboratory 99.94 83.35 
		
	
	We do not have sufficient visibility to provide the information requested in respect of contracted workers’ rates of pay, where paid by their parent company or recruitment agency.
	The Government supports businesses that choose to pay the living wage. However, our prime policy is the national minimum wage for the low paid. This is independently set by the Low Pay Commission at a level that maximises their wages without reducing employment prospects. It is for workers and employers to decide the level of wages above the minimum wage based on relevant circumstances. This includes the Government as a procurer and an employer. Around 20 million employees, over 95% of the total, earn above the minimum wage, and the majority of public sector workers currently earn above the living wage.

Redundancy

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 27 January 2014, Official Report, column 413W, on redundancy, what the cost to the public purse was of redundancies for officials who have subsequently been rehired by his Department.

Andrew Murrison: This Government has ensured significant savings to the public purse by reforming redundancy payments for civil servants. More generally, we have saved taxpayers some £2.2 billion from a 15% reduction in the civil service which is now at its smallest since the second world war.
	Since 2011, around 10,000 civilian staff have left the Department under the terms of the Voluntary Early Release Scheme (VERS); of these, 44 have subsequently been re-employed by the Department. The lump sum payments made to these 44 individuals under the Civil Service Compensation Scheme (CSCS) arrangements amounts to around £1.6 million in total.
	Under the rules of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme (CSCS) an individual who leaves on redundancy terms is entitled to apply for another job in the civil service. However, anyone who rejoins the civil service within 28 days of leaving would have their compensation cancelled and would have to repay any compensation they had already received. Depending on the level of compensation received, individuals who rejoin the service outside the 28 day period but within six months of their departure will have to repay their compensation on a pro-rata basis. These re-joiners will have been required to compete in fair and open competition for their new posts. Only five of the 44 individuals who were re-employed by the Department rejoined within six months, and only one of these five on a permanent basis. The individual who was re-employed on a permanent basis within six months will have been required to repay their compensation in accordance with the CSCS rules.

TREASURY

Criminal Investigation

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which organisation his Department and its subsidiary bodies use to tackle internal instances of crime, including corruption and fraud; and whether he has designated this organisation or any individual within it to grant authorisation for carrying out directed surveillance under section 28 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.

Nicky Morgan: HM Treasury, and its subsidiary bodies, will investigate allegations of internal crime including fraud and corruption in line with its own internal anti-fraud policies. However the Treasury does not have and does not need its own criminal investigation powers or capacity for these purposes. If the internal investigation indicated that a crime had taken place the Treasury would refer the matter to the police. No Treasury Group official is able to grant authorisation for carrying out directed surveillance under section 28 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.

Fracking

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what consideration he has given to the possibility of creating a sovereign wealth fund from the revenue proceeding from fracking;
	(2)  if he will make an assessment of the experience of Norway in creating a sovereign wealth fund from the revenue accrued from the country's natural resources and the potential use of a spending cap.

Nicky Morgan: Shale gas represents a huge economic opportunity for the UK. It could create thousands of jobs, generate significant business investment and provide substantial revenue for the Exchequer in the future. The Government will not be able to forecast the scale or timing of this revenue, however, until more work is done to determine the extent of gas that can be technically and commercially recovered. It would therefore be inappropriate to indicate now how potential future revenue would be used.
	In addition, it should be noted that diverting revenues from the Government's finances to a specific shale fund, or one created by revenue from other natural resources, would come at a cost. The money cannot be spent twice. The Government would likely need to either raise additional tax revenue elsewhere or cut spending, to maintain the fiscal balance. The Government has no plans to assess the possibility, of creating a sovereign wealth fund from this revenue.

Free Schools

David Ward: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance his Department has issued about the freehold and leasehold of school sites for potential free schools.

Danny Alexander: HM Treasury has issued no guidance on the freehold and leasehold of school sites for potential free schools.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what Barnett consequentials arise from the Government's proposals for High Speed Rail 2.

Danny Alexander: Barnett consequentials for High Speed 2 for years beyond 2015-16 will be determined at the next spending review.

Minimum Wage

Andy Sawford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many full-time equivalent employees there are at (a) his Department and (b) HM Revenue and Customs whose work is dedicated to enforcing the minimum wage.

David Gauke: HMRC enforces the national minimum wage on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and in that respect, on behalf as Government as a whole.
	HM Treasury has a strong interest in national minimum wage policy and its enforcement and works closely with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, as the lead Department responsible for national minimum wage policy, on ensuring the right policies are in place.
	The Government takes the enforcement of NMW very seriously and is committed to increasing compliance with minimum wage legislation and effective enforcement of it. Everyone who is entitled to the minimum wage should receive it. In addition to reviewing every complaint that is referred to them by the Pay and Work Rights Helpline, HMRC carry out targeted enforcement where it identifies a high risk of non-payment of NMW.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Glasgow North East (Mr Bain) on 16 January 2014, Official Report, column 628W, in respect of how many members of staff in HM Revenue and Customs were involved in enforcement of the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 and its associated delegated legislation in each of the last four years.

Non-domestic Rates: Arts

James Clappison: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on business rate discounts for (a) cinemas and (b) DVD rental shops.

David Gauke: As set out in the guidance published on 29 January the retail relief announced at the autumn statement will apply to
	“occupied hereditaments with a rateable value of £50,000 or less, that are wholly or mainly being used as shops, restaurants, cafes and drinking establishments.”
	DVD rental shops will be eligible for this relief.
	There are no specific business rates reliefs targeted on cinemas but both cinemas and DVD rental shops will benefit from the 2% cap to business rates inflationary increases that was announced at the autumn statement.

Pay

Ian Austin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many civil servants are on each pay grade in (a) his Department and (b) agencies and public bodies accountable to him.

Nicky Morgan: The number of civil servants in each pay grade in HM Treasury, agencies and public bodies is listed in the Workforce Management Information published on data.gov.
	http://data.gov.uk/dataset/hm-treasury-workforce-management-information/resource/0f83ffee-4fc3-44bf-83fc-0bb9c6848d46

Pay Television

Diana Johnson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether offices of (a) his Department and (b) its Executive agencies have access to Sky Sports or an equivalent premium sports television service; and what the cost to the public purse is in each case.

Nicky Morgan: The Department does not subscribe to Sky Sports, premium sports TV services or any other premium rate satellite TV services.
	Some subscription channels are provided to ministerial and private offices in the Department through the Parliamentary TV service but at no additional cost to the public purse.
	The Debt Management Office, an executive agency of HM Treasury, has a standard commercial subscription with Sky for access to news and business channels.

Productivity

Steven Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of UK labour productivity; and if he will make a statement.

Nicky Morgan: Productivity in the UK has been rising for the three quarters to 2013 Q3 and is currently 2.3% above its recession low, on an output per worker basis.
	The OBR expects productivity growth to strengthen in 2014 and 2015 and to rise throughout the forecast period.

Revenue and Customs

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many technical specialists worked in HM Revenue and Customs Residency, the Centre for Non-Residents, in each of the last six tax years.

David Gauke: Before 2010, it is unclear how many technical specialists were working on residence as they were spread across different teams. The directorate responsible for residency issues in HMRC is Personal Tax International, Since its inception, the number of full time equivalent technical advisers employed in this directorate as of April each year is;
	
		
			  Number 
			 2010 20.93 
			 2011 18 
			 2012 19.35 
			 2013 19.35 
		
	
	It has not been possible to provide the equivalent figures for the two years prior to 2010. This is due to the effects of an internal reorganisation following a review in 2009.

Tax Allowances: Married People

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the financial effect of the introduction of universal credit on couples in receipt of the transferable tax allowance.

David Gauke: The transferable tax allowance for married couples is a progressive tax measure, with two thirds of the benefits going to families in the lower half of the income distribution.
	Universal credit (UC) claimants may see their UC award reduced as a result of the reduction in their tax, but will still be better off overall. No one will lose out from the interactions of the transferable tax allowance for married couples and UC.

Tax Allowances: Married People

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what will happen to the transferable tax allowance of individuals when (a) their spouse or civil partner dies, (b) they divorce and (c) they separate; and after what period of time the change would take place.

David Gauke: The draft clauses for transferable tax allowances for married couples and civil partners were published together with the explanatory note on 10 December 2013
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/finance-bill-2014-draft-legislation-overview-documents
	Where the person receiving the transferable allowance dies, the transfer will remain in place in that tax year for the purposes of the recipient. The personal allowance of the person giving the allowance will be topped-up to their pre-transfer allowance.
	Where the person giving the transferable allowance dies, the transfer will remain in place in that tax year for both parties.
	Paragraph 10 of the explanatory note explains the options available to people where their marriage or civil partnership comes to a legal end.
	HM Revenue and Customs will make any changes necessary due to death or the legal end of a relationship as quickly as possible. The precise timing will always depend on the facts of the individual case.

Tax Allowances: Married People

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of (a) married couples and civil partnerships and (b) families with children he expects to be eligible for the transferable tax allowance in 2015-16.

David Gauke: An estimated 4.1 million couples are set to benefit from the married couples tax allowance in 2015-16; one-third of all married couples and civil partnerships.
	1.4 million families with children are set to benefit from the married couples tax allowance in 2015-16. This is roughly one-sixth of the total number of families with children currently in the UK.
	Estimates are derived from the 2011-12 Family Resources Survey projected forward to 2015-16 using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility's December 2013 economic and fiscal outlook.
	This policy is about signalling the value that the Government places upon marriage as an institution regardless of couples' choices to have children.

Taxation: Environment Protection

Iain Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to amend the carbon floor price; and if he will make a statement.

Nicky Morgan: Effective carbon pricing, including the carbon price floor (CPF), is an important part of the Government's energy policy.
	The Government keeps all tax policy under review.

Taxation: Self-assessment

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of (a) the number of people who will be fined for failing to register for self-assessment to continue to receive child benefit and (b) the total amount charged in fines for failing to register for self-assessment to continue to receive child benefit.

David Gauke: No penalties have yet been issued for a failure to register for self assessment as a result of the introduction of the high income child benefit charge. HM Revenue and Customs will write to those individuals who their records show have failed to register, to remind them to do so and pay the tax they owe.

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Paul Burstow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the Government's commitment to give due consideration to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) when making new policy and legislation, if he will place in the Library all assessments of how new policy and legislation from his Department since January 2013 has given due consideration to the UNCRC.

Nicky Morgan: HM Treasury considers the impacts of its legislative and wider policy work, including impacts specifically on children. In the course of this work it consults with a number of expert groups and, in particular, works closely with Government Departments with lead responsibilities on policies important for the welfare of children.
	HM Treasury has been responsible for a number of decisions that will further the aims of the Convention in the UK. For example, Budget 2013 announced the introduction of tax free child care, benefitting children by providing families with support for high child care costs.
	All Bills introduced by Treasury Ministers are published with a memorandum confirming that the Bill is compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), the provisions of which overlap with those of the UNCRC to a considerable extent.
	More widely, the coalition Government is due to report to the UN Committee responsible for the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child shortly. The Department for Education is co-ordinating the response with contributions from other Government Departments. Once the Government has submitted its response to the UN Committee, a copy will be placed in the House Library.

Welfare Tax Credits

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the current level of tax credits overpayment debt is; and what estimate he has made of such figures at the end of 2014-15.

Nicky Morgan: The information requested is available in the HMRC Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 31 March 2013 at paragraph 4.27:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/annual-report-and-accounts-2012-13--3

Welfare Tax Credits

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much HM Revenue and Customs expects to write off in tax credits debt in 2012-13.

Nicky Morgan: The information requested is available in the HM Revenue and Customs Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 31 March 2013—page 141, table 26.1 ‘Losses Statement’:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/annual-report-and-accounts-2012-13--3

Welfare Tax Credits

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the level of savings HM Revenue and Customs expects to make on reducing tax credits error and fraud between 2010-11 and 2014-15.

Nicky Morgan: HM Revenue and Customs publish—as official statistics—estimates of the level of error and fraud in the tax credits system on an annual basis. The most recent figures relate to the tax year 2011-12 and these, along with the estimates for earlier years are available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/fin-error-stats.htm#1
	The 2011-12 estimate of the level of error and fraud is 7.3% of finalised entitlement, down from 8.1% in 2010-11, and is the lowest level of error and fraud since the current personal tax credit scheme was introduced in 2003-04.
	The Government remains determined to crack down on and tackle error and fraud in the tax credits system. HM Revenue and Customs aim to reduce error and fraud in the tax credit system towards 5.5% of finalised entitlement by 2014-15, down from 8.1% in 2010-11.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Bromley London Borough Council (Crystal Palace) Act 1990

Jim Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to bring forward amendments to the Bromley London Borough Council (Crystal Palace) Act 1990.

Brandon Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Croydon North (Mr Reed), on 11 November 2013, Official Report, column 482W.
	At present, the Government does not have any plans to bring forward amendments to the Bromley London borough council (Crystal Palace) Act 1990. My officials will further consider what legislative options might be required to enable the rebuilding of the Crystal Palace over the coming months, once the ZhongRong Group have developed more detailed proposals and consulted the public.

Certification Quality Marks: Iron and Steel

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the financial effect on small and medium-sized businesses of the requirement for CE marking of structural steel; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps he has taken to reduce the impact on small and medium-sized businesses of the requirement for CE marking of structural steel;
	(3)  when in the last 12 months he has met bodies from the steel industry to discuss the requirement for CE marking of structural steel.

Stephen Williams: The Department produced an impact assessment on the then proposed Construction Products Regulation in August 2009. While there was no specific assessment of the impact resulting from the CE marking of structural steel, the impact assessment considered how the changes would affect smaller firms more generally. The impact assessment is available at:
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100104170521/http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/constructionproductsimpactfinal
	Unlike the Directive the Construction Products Regulation repealed on 1 July 2013, the Regulation sets out simplified procedures for micro enterprises and manufacturers producing products for specific projects.
	There have been no meetings in the last 12 months between Ministers in this Department and bodies from the steel industry to discuss the CE marking of structural steel. However, officials are in regular contact with the industry.

Community Relations: Hinduism

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what financial support his Department provided to the Hindu community in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13 and (d) 2013-14; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Williams: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 29 January 2014, Official Report, columns 599-600W.

Floods: Insurance

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 25 November 2013, Official Report, column 17, what assessment he has made of the number of properties offered under the help-to-buy scheme which are in areas insurance companies deem to be at high risk of flooding; and what discussions he has had with his ministerial colleagues on including such properties in the Flood Re insurance scheme.

Kris Hopkins: National Planning Policy is very clear that inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding should be avoided and any development that is necessary in flood risk areas should be safe and resilient, without increasing flood risk elsewhere. New house building, including all properties offered under the Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme; and most other forms of development should not be permitted in functional floodplains, where floodwater has to flow or be stored.
	These important elements of national planning policy have been in place for a number of years. The proposals for the Flood Reinsurance scheme will therefore not include new builds.

Housing: Floods

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of recommendations by the Environment Agency against granting planning permission for residential development because of flood risk was not complied with in each of the last three years.

Nicholas Boles: holding answer 27 January 2014
	The Environment Agency is consulted for planning applications involving flood risk in specified circumstances. The Agency advises local planning authorities on avoiding inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding or, where development is necessary, how to make it safe and resilient without increasing flood risk elsewhere. The Agency reports the number of planning applications on which it was consulted for detailed flood risk advice in “Managing flood and coastal erosion risks in England”. Reports are available from the Environment Agency at:
	www.environment-agency.gov.uk/research/library/publications/144594.aspx
	However, the overall decision is one for the local planning authority to consider and weigh up the relevant material considerations.
	The most recent Agency report advises that:
	“Across all development types, 2012-13 is the seventh year in succession in which over 95% of planning applications (where the outcomes are known) were decided in line with Environment Agency flood risk advice. Of the 68,903 new residential units within planning applications on which the Environment Agency has been notified of the decision, over 99% were decided in line with Environment Agency flood risk advice”.
	With regard to the differences between the two percentage figures: the 'over 95%' figure is derived from the total number of notified planning decisions for all types of development; whereas the '99%' figure is derived from the number of residential units for which planning permission has been granted within those notified decisions.
	This proportion has remained similar over a number of years, and is broadly the same proportion as when the right hon. Member was the Secretary of State with departmental responsibility for the Environment Agency (on residential applications, the figures were 99.2% in 2012-13 compared to 99.1% in 2009-10).

Property Development: Floods

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many times he has exercised his power of recovering a planning appeal to (a) overturn and (b) uphold a local authority's decision to (i) allow and (ii) refuse a planning application for (A) housing and (B) commercial development on a flood plain or in an area of flood risk in each of the last four years.

Nicholas Boles: We do not hold the information requested. All decisions on recovered appeals in areas at risk of flooding will be determined taking account of the particular circumstances of the case and having regard to the provisions of the Local Development Plan and relevant national planning policy.
	National planning policy is very clear that inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding should be avoided, but where development is necessary it is made safe and does not increase flood risk elsewhere.

Public Appointments

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many public appointments his Department made in the last 12 months; how many such appointments are remunerated posts; what the level of such remuneration is; and how many people so appointed are (a) women and (b) men.

Brandon Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 5 February 2014, Official Report, column 301W, by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude).

Roads: Lighting

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions his Department has had with local authorities about the safety effect of dimming street lighting.

Brandon Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 10 February 2014, Official Report, columns 419-20W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Aberconwy (Guto Bebb).

HOME DEPARTMENT

Alcoholic Drinks: Crime

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were referred to each of her Department's sobriety pilot scheme areas; how many people completed the scheme in each area; and when she intends to release the full project evaluation.

Norman Baker: The Home Office published guidance on Using Conditional Cautions with Sobriety Requirements in November 2013. Annex A to that guidance is a summary of findings from the conditional caution sobriety pilot that took place between May 2012 to January 2013. Of the 92 eligible offenders, 68 did not consent to the sobriety conditional caution.
	Crown Prosecution Service authorisation for the caution was not given in five cases. There were three breaches of a caution where the offender failed to report for the breath test, having complied with the conditions for between eight to 18 days. Hence, the conditions of the caution were complied with in 16 cases.

Alcoholic Drinks: Prices

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the conclusions of the research commissioned by her Department on the impact on minimum pricing of alcohol has led to the development of legislative proposals by her Department.

Norman Baker: The Home Office has used the conclusions of the research commissioned by the Government and carried out by the University of Sheffield alongside a range of sources of information to develop legislative proposals related to alcohol pricing.

Animal Experiments

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to publish her Department's strategy to reduce the number of animals used in medical experimentation.

Norman Baker: holding answer 30 January 2014
	In support of the Coalition Government commitment to work to reduce the use of animals in scientific research, we published a Delivery Plan on 7 February that set out how the Government is supporting and encouraging the 3Rs—replacement, refinement and reduction—and the programmes and policies through which Government will continue to deliver its commitment.

Antisocial Behaviour

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of current governance arrangements between local authorities and police forces for addressing anti-social behaviour.

Norman Baker: In many areas, the police and local councils work together very effectively to tackle antisocial behaviour. However there are still too many cases of victims reporting the same problem repeatedly and not getting an adequate response. The community trigger introduced in the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill will give victims and communities the right to demand that local agencies, including councils, the police and registered providers of social housing, deal with such cases. It will require them to work in partnership and adopt a collective, problem-solving approach to persistent antisocial behaviour.

Asylum: Advisory Services

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will publish the specification for the contract awarded to Migrant Help to provide advice services for asylum seekers from April 2014.

James Brokenshire: I will place a copy of the statement of requirements for the contract awarded to Migrant Help to provide advice services for asylum seekers from April 2014 in the House Library.

Asylum: Syria

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria her Department has adopted in deciding which refugees from Syria will be offered asylum in the United Kingdom.

James Brokenshire: The Government considers each asylum application lodged in the United Kingdom, including those made by Syrian nationals, on its individual merits in accordance with the Immigration Rules and our international obligations, including the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees.
	In addition to consideration of Syrian asylum applications under our normal rules, the Home Secretary announced on 29 January plans to provide emergency sanctuary in the UK for displaced Syrians who are most at risk. Under the new Vulnerable Person Relocation scheme (VPR), the Government will work with UNHCR and other partners to identify the most vulnerable cases displaced by the conflict in Syria and relocate them to the UK. In particular, the programme will prioritise help for survivors of torture and violence, and women and children at risk or in need of medical care.

Asylum: Syria

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedures are in place to enable individuals to offer accommodation to refugees from Syria under the Government's recently announced scheme; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: We are in discussions with partners including local authorities regarding the accommodation and support those relocated under the Vulnerable Person Relocation scheme will need when they arrive in the UK. The scheme aims to help the most vulnerable refugees, giving priority to survivors of torture and violence, and women and children at risk or in need of medical care, and those relocated are likely to have very specific support or medical needs. We do not believe, therefore, that it is feasible to place them with individuals in the UK, and we have no plans to enable individuals to offer accommodation under the scheme. However, the Government welcomes offers of assistance for the scheme, and those who wish to help may want to inquire with their local authority about ways in which they may be able to contribute.

Borders: Personal Records

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department spent on the E-borders programme in (a) 2009, (b) 2010, (c) 2011, (d) 2012 and (e) 2013.

James Brokenshire: Due to the ongoing legal arbitration between the Home Office and Raytheon, it is not possible to disclose any financial information relating to the eBorders programme.

Community Relations

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent work has been undertaken by the taskforce on tackling extremism.

James Brokenshire: The Prime Minister's Task Force on Tackling Radicalisation and Extremism convened for the final time on 26 November 2013. During the five months of its operation, the Extremism Task Force considered a range of measures to confront extremism in all its forms, including in communities, schools, prisons, faith institutions or universities.
	On 4 December 2013 the Government published a document that set out the conclusions of the Task Force discussions and the practical steps that Ministers have agreed to address the gaps in our response to extremism. These include:
	Taking steps to ensure local authorities are supporting people on the front line of tackling extremism, and intervening where they are not taking the problem seriously;
	Giving additional support to local communities which are on the frontline of tackling extremism, and intervening where they are not taking the problem seriously; and
	Addressing extremism in institutions by improving oversight of religious supplementary schools, finding trained Muslim chaplains to challenge the extremist views on campuses and restricting the ability of extremist and terrorist prisoners to radicalise others.
	Departments will now provide regular updates to the Prime Minister on how their measures are being implemented, their impact, and any further steps needed for an effective and comprehensive approach to dealing with extremism.

Council of Europe Convention On Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violenc

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects ratifications by the UK of the Council of Europe's Convention on Violence against Women and Domestic Violence to take place.

Norman Baker: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 12 November 2013, Official Report, columns 542-43W.

Criminal Investigation

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which organisation her Department and its subsidiary bodies use to tackle internal instances of crime, including corruption and fraud; and whether she has designated this organisation or any individual within it to grant authorisation for carrying out directed surveillance under section 28 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has an internal anti-corruption unit within the Corporate Security Directorate, for the purpose of deterring, preventing, detecting, investigating and prosecuting corruption and fraud.
	Three officers in this unit are trained authorising officers for the purposes of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.

Drugs: Misuse

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to page 18 of her Department's Evaluation Framework for the UK Drug Strategy, what assessment she has made of (a) the Impact Analysis project of New Drugs Legislation in the Czech Republic, (b) the paper, What can we learn from the Portuguese decriminalization of illicit drugs in the British Journal of Criminology, (c) the King's College London Randomised Injecting Opioid Treatment Trial report, (d) the report by the National Treatment Outcome Research Study, After Five Years, the Department of Health and (e) the No. 10 Strategy Unit Drugs Project Phase 1 report, Understanding the issues; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: The Home Office has reviewed a wide range of evidence to develop the approach to the evaluation of the 2010 Drug Strategy, including but not limited to the documents listed in the question. In addition, I am engaged in a study of international comparators. The assessment of evidence to feed into the evaluation is ongoing and will continue throughout the evaluation process.

Entry Clearances

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effect of the introduction of online visa applications and booking systems.

James Brokenshire: Online visa applications have been introduced for all international visa applications and are being developed and implemented for in country application routes. This is in line with the Government’s digital by default agenda and streamlines the customer journey during the application process. As part of the delivery of this current programme of work a range of research and testing has been carried out with customers to ensure the system delivers and continuously improves. It is too early in the delivery of the current programme to have carried out a more detailed review of the impact of these changes, however user testing and efficiency is central to the whole approach.

Entry Clearances

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many visa applications were refused due to applicant error in the last 12 months; and how many such decisions were subsequently overturned at appeal.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office does not collate statistics on this and therefore does not hold this information centrally. Moreover, there is no clear definition of 'applicant error' which could be used to do so.

Entry Clearances: China

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many work visas have been issued to Chinese nationals in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 10 February 2014
	The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual statistics on the number of work visa applications issued by nationality in table be_06_q_w within the release Immigration Statistics. A copy of the latest release, Immigration Statistics:
	July to September 2013, which includes these quarterly data up to the third quarter of 2013, is available from the Library of the House and from gov.uk at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-july-to-september-2013/immigration-statistics-july-to-september-2013#before-entry

Firearms: Licensing

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effect of moving the firearms licensing system online.

Norman Baker: We anticipate that moving the firearms licensing system online will reduce the administrative burden and to a degree the cost of the current system. We are working with police and stakeholders to agree the approach. However, we will not be able to measure the benefits fully until the system is fully operational. Moving the licensing system online will not however eliminate the gap between the cost of administering the scheme and the income derived there from.

Human Trafficking

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 14 January 2014, Official Report, column 481W, on human trafficking: Victim Support Scheme, how many of the 270 males referred to the Salvation Army since 1 July 2011 were granted discretionary leave to remain on the grounds of personal circumstances.

James Brokenshire: The requested information cannot be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.

Illegal Immigrants

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many named illegal migrants are currently listed on the (a) National Operations Database, (b) Case Information Database, (c) National Allegations Database, (d) Migration Refusal Pool, (e) Warnings Index and (f) Watch Lists.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 16 January 2014
	The information is as follows:
	(a), (b), (c) and (d)
	The Home Office databases do not record information on illegal migrants in the format in which you have requested. This information could be obtained only by a disproportionately expensive manual case-by-case search to collate the data.
	(e) and (f)
	It is long-standing policy not to discuss either the specific information held on the Warnings Index and Watch Lists, or details relating to the volumes of data on it, as to do so would not be in the interests of border and national security.

Immigrants: Detainees

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  many immigration detainees have been transferred from Colbrook Immigration Removal Centre to Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre in each of the last 12 months;
	(2)  how many immigration detainees have been transferred from Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre to Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre in each of the last 12 months;
	(3)  what the escorting arrangements are for immigration detainees who are transferred from Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre to Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre.

James Brokenshire: The data requested about the transfer of immigration detainees to and from Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) and Harmondsworth IRC can only be collated and verified at disproportionate cost.
	Tascor Services Ltd operates the Home Office escorting contract and carries out all routine transfers of immigration detainees to and from Harmondsworth and Colnbrook IRCs.

Immigrants: Detainees

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether contracted companies receive a payment for each reception and discharge of an immigration detainee.

James Brokenshire: There is no payment made for each reception and discharge of an immigration detainee.

Immigrants: Detainees

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what payments have been made to (a) GEO and (b) Tascor in respect of the transfer of immigration detainees from Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre to Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre in each of the last 12 months.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office does not make payment to GEO in respect of the transfer of immigration detainees between Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre and Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre.
	The Home Office does have a contract with Tascor in respect of the transfer of immigration detainees between Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre and Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre this is based on a rate per mile, the detail of which is commercially confidential.

Immigrants: Detainees

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what payments have been made to (a) Serco and (b) Tascor in respect of the transfer of immigration detainees from Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre to Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre in each of the last 12 months.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office does not make payment to Serco in respect of the transfer of immigration detainees between Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre and Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre.
	The Home Office does have a contract with Tascor in respect of the transfer of immigration detainees between Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre and Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre this is based on a rate per mile the detail of which is commercially confidential.

Immigration

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people she estimates have arrived in the UK seeking work from Romania and Bulgaria since 1 January 2014.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 3 February 2014
	The Home Office has not made any estimates. Statistics will be published in the normal way by the Office of National Statistics and the Department for Work and Pensions once they are available.

Licensing Laws

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 9 July 2013, Official Report, column 151W, on licensed premises, what steps she has taken to consult on the implementation of full-cost recovery for alcohol licences; and whether she intends to implement this in July 2014.

Norman Baker: holding answer 10 February 2014
	We will consult shortly on the regulations to introduce locally-set licence fees under the Licensing Act 2003. It is our intention at present to lay the regulations in June 2014.

Licensing Laws

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many local authorities have introduced (a) a late night levy and (b) an early morning restriction order; and how much she estimates those powers (i) raised in their first year of operation and (ii) will raise in their second year of operation.

Norman Baker: holding answer 10 February 2014
	Two local authorities have adopted the late night levy so far. Newcastle upon Tyne commenced the levy on 1 November 2013 and Cheltenham will commence its levy on 1 April 2014. A number of other areas have also been actively considering the measure.
	Newcastle city council estimates that the levy will raise £320,000 annually.
	Cheltenham borough council estimates that the levy has the potential to raise annual gross income of £199,000.
	No licensing authority has yet introduced an early morning alcohol restriction order. A number of areas have been actively considering whether the measure could be of benefit to them.

Licensing Laws

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the net cost to local authorities of implementing an alcohol licensing regime.

Norman Baker: holding answer 10 February 2014
	We will shortly be launching a consultation on regulations to introduce locally-set fees under the Licensing Act 2003. Alongside this consultation an impact assessment will be published, which considers how to achieve recovery of the costs of licensing authorities in discharging their functions under the 2003 Act.

Misuse of Drugs Ministerial Group

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times the inter-ministerial group on drugs has met since May 2010; and how many times (a) prevention, (b) education, (c) legal highs and (d) treatments have been on the agenda of those meetings.

Norman Baker: holding answer 10 February 2014
	Further to the answers given on 9 July 2012, Official Report, column 82W, and 27 June 2013, Official Report, column 353W, I can confirm that the Inter-Ministerial Group on Drugs met on 10 July 2013 and 18 December 2013.
	As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to publish details, including agenda items, of such meetings.

Offenders: EU Nationals

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to ensure that EU nationals convicted of serious crimes are deported; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The Government is clear that European economic area (EEA) nationals who benefit from the right to free movement must adhere to the responsibilities this brings with it and abide by our laws. All EEA nationals who have committed a serious offence are referred to the Home Office for consideration of deportation in accordance with the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006. While a valid deportation order remains in force against an individual it prohibits that person's admission to the UK.
	The Immigration Bill will strengthen the powers we have to deal with foreign criminals. It will seek to end the abuse of article 8 by ensuring that an appropriate balance is struck between the right to respect for family and private life and the wider public interest in controlling immigration and protecting the public. Additionally we will extend the number of non-suspensive appeals so that, where there is no risk of serious and irreversible harm, we can deport criminals first and hear appeals later. We will look to apply these provisions to both EEA and non EEA nationals.

Passports

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will assess the effectiveness of the use of the Royal Prerogative to remove passports from British nationals whom her Department want to prevent from travelling abroad to take part in extremist activity, terrorism training or other fighting.

James Brokenshire: The decision to issue, withdraw, or refuse a British passport is at the discretion of the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), under the Royal Prerogative. On 25 April 2013, Official Report, column 68WS, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary set out the circumstances under which a passport can be issued, withdrawn or refused. That statement redefined the public interest criteria to refuse or withdraw a passport.
	A decision to refuse or withdraw a passport must be necessary and proportionate. A decision to refuse or withdraw a passport under the public interest criteria will be used sparingly and will be subject to careful consideration of a person's past, present or proposed activities.
	Measures taken for reasons of public interest, and their effectiveness, are kept under continuous review.

Pay

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of (a) permanent, (b) temporary and (c) contract staff in her Department are paid the Living Wage or above.

James Brokenshire: All permanent members of staff directly employed by the Home Office are paid the living wage or above.
	The Home Office does not keep information on the level of pay of staff employed by organisations contracted to provide services within the Home Office. The Home Office's facilities management contracts will be reviewed this year. This will provide an opportunity to consider the contractors' proposed wage rates and their proposals for service delivery. Government will always award contracts on the basis of the best value for money for the taxpayers—which includes the low paid.
	We do not have access to salary data centrally for temporary or agency staff as these employees are not on the Home Office payroll but we are working with suppliers to ensure that if these staff are engaged in employment for 12 weeks, then in accordance with the agency workers regulations their pay and terms and conditions will rise to match their directly employed colleagues.

Pay

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many civil servants are on each pay grade in (a) her Department and (b) agencies and public bodies accountable to her.

James Brokenshire: The number of civil servants (full-time equivalent (FTE) on each pay grade as at 31 December 2013 is provided for (a) the Home Department in Table 1 and (b) the Executive agencies in Table 2.
	Executive non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) are independent of the Home Office. They are responsible for the employment of their own staff. This information cannot be provided as to do so would incur disproportionate cost.
	The Home Office Executive NDPBs are the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner, Security Industry Authority, Disclosure and Barring Service and the Independent Police Complaints Commission.
	
		
			 Table 1: (a) FTE of civil servants in the core Home Office by pay grade at 31 December 2013 
			  FTE  
			 Department 1.AA 2.AO 3.EO 4.HEO 5.SEO 6.G7 7.G6 8.SCS FTE total 
			 Core Home Office 901 4,246 9,606 3,511 1,957 1,230 437 194 22,082 
			 Data source: Data View—The Home Office’s single source of Office for National Statistics compliant monthly snapshot corporate Human Resources data. Period covered: Data is provided as at 31 December 2013. Extraction date: 1January 2014. Organisational coverage: Figures are for the core Home Office (including UK Visas and Immigration, Immigration Enforcement and Border Force) only. Employee coverage: Data is based on full-time equivalents (FTE) of all paid civil servants, who were current as at t31 December 2013. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: (b) FTE of civil servants in the Home Office's Executive agencies by pay grade at 31 December 2013 
			  FTE  
			 Executive agency 1.AA 2.AO 3.EO 4.HEO 5.SEO 6.G7 7.G6 8.SCS FTE total 
			 HM Passport Office 537 1,319 758 301 179 88 30 11 3,223 
		
	
	
		
			 National Fraud Authority 0 0 5 Less than 5 6 5 Less than 5 Less than 5 25 
			 1 Less than 5. Data source: Data View—The Home Office’s single source of Office for National Statistics compliant monthly snapshot corporate Human Resources data. Period covered: Data is provided as at 31 December 2013. Extraction date: 1 January 2014. Organisational coverage: Figures are for the Home Office's Executive agencies; Her Majesty's Passport Office and the National Fraud Authority. Employee coverage: Data is based on full-time equivalents (FTE) of all paid civil servants, who were current as at 31 December 2013. Redaction: Figures less than 5 have been redacted and replaced with the words "Less than 5", in line with Data Protection Act guidelines on the release of small numbers.

Police and Crime Commissioners

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what obligation exists on police and crime commissioners to adhere to the framework of national standards and authorised professional practice.

Damian Green: The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill, proposes to give the College of Policing the power to set national standards.
	Chief constables must have regard to national standards concerning police practice and procedure set through Codes of Practice issued by the College; Police and Crime Commissioners must have regard to national standards set through statutory guidance issued by the college concerning the training, qualifications and experience of police staff.

Prisoners: Foreign nationals

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many foreign national prisoners, who were given temporary release to attend interviews with the immigration service at immigration detention centres operated under contract to the UK Border Agency, were transported to and from their interviews in each month of the last three years;
	(2)  what the cost has been of escorting foreign national prisoners, who were given temporary release to attend interviews with the immigration service at immigration detention centres operated under contract to the UK Border Agency in each month of the last three years.

James Brokenshire: Foreign national offenders are not given temporary release in order to attend interviews at Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs).
	It is not possible to give the number of foreign national offenders who were moved to attend interviews at IRCs and the cost of those moves as this would require the examination of individual records at disproportionate cost.

Procurement

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her Department's 10 largest contracts let since the financial year 2010-11 are; what savings have been made in such contracts; what the level of overspend or underspend was in each such contract; and what steps her Department has taken to monitor the performance of each such contract following the contract award.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 22 January 2014
	It has been the Home Department's policy since January 2011 to publish details of all contracts with a value of £10,000 or more on Contracts Finder:
	www.gov.uk/contracts-finder
	In addition, Home Department's expenditure over £25,000, is published at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transparency-spend-over-25-000
	Each contract has in place appropriate mechanisms to monitor performance.

Property

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) name, (b) location, (c) floor space, (d) tenure status and (e) value is of properties (i) owned and (ii) occupied by (A) her Department and (B) agencies and public bodies accountable to her.

James Brokenshire: Published details of Home Office properties can be found at:
	http://data.gov.uk/dataset/epims
	The value of the properties owned and occupied by the Home Office including leases held on balance sheet is £663.5 million. This includes properties owned by the Department’s sponsored non-departmental public bodies.

Public Appointments

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many public appointments her Department made in the last 12 months; how many such appointments are remunerated posts; what the level of such remuneration is; and how many people so appointed are (a) women and (b) men.

James Brokenshire: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 5 February 2014, Official Report, column 301W, by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude).

Social Networking

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 28 January 2014, Official Report, column 483W, on social networking, what steps the Government is taking to raise procedures for timely compliance of Twitter with requests from enforcement agencies.

Norman Baker: Further to my answer of 28 January 2014, the Government stresses the importance of robust working relationships with law enforcement agencies as part of its ongoing engagement with social media companies. Ministers will shortly be meeting with a number of companies, including Twitter, to discuss what more can be done to protect people from online abuse. National Policing Leads are also in regular contact with the social media companies to establish effective information sharing protocols.

Speed Limits: Rural Areas

Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to ensure that speed limits are adhered to in rural constituencies.

Damian Green: Enforcement of speed limits is an operational matter for the police.
	Individual police forces may also work with local communities and local volunteers to tackle speeding, taking into account specific local needs.

Vetting: Taxis

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effect of changes to Criminal Records Bureau checks on taxi drivers.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 10 February 2014
	In October, the London Taxi Drivers Association and some larger mini cab firms raised concerns about the delays experienced by some of their members applying for criminal record checks issued by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
	In response, the DBS undertook to actively follow up with local police forces any application from a taxi driver delayed beyond 45 days. Since being put in place last October, these measures have reduced the number of delayed DBS applications from taxi drivers. The DBS continues to monitor the situation closely.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Dogs: Imports

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many dogs entered the UK from each country for (a) non-commercial purposes under the Pet Travel Scheme and (b) commercial purposes under the Balai Directive 92/45/EEC in each year since 2000.

George Eustice: I have placed three tables in the Library of the House which set out this information.

Dredging: West Sussex

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will take steps to require the Environment Agency to dredge the Aldingbourne Rife in West Sussex.

Dan Rogerson: Every year, in order to reduce flood risk the Environment Agency cuts and removes reed from the Aldingbourne Rife. This maintenance programme is regularly reviewed to find the most effective use of the available funding.
	The Aldingbourne Rife catchment drains out to sea through a large tidal outfall at Felpham. Pumps allow drainage to continue at all stages of the tide. This reduces the risk of flooding to Bognor Regis, Barnham and surrounding rural communities.
	The Environment Agency and other local risk management authorities are working together to investigate how to manage flood risk from multiple sources across the entire Aldingbourne Rife catchment. This work is ongoing and will identify whether existing flood defence assets need to be improved or whether additional maintenance work such as dredging would be beneficial and cost effective.
	A preliminary view on the benefits of dredging parts of the Aldingbourne Rife compared to other options will be known by the summer of 2014.

Environment Protection

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the evidential basis is for the statements (a) in the Biodiversity Offsetting Green Paper that offsetting guarantees there is no net loss from development and supports our ambition to achieve net gain for nature and (b) in his Answer of 9 January 2014, Official Report, column 440, that in Australia there has been a 80 per cent. shift of planning application away from fragile environments; and if he will publish (i) that evidence and (ii) the record of discussions on this issue during the trip to Australia referred to in his evidence to the Environmental Audit Committee on 23 October 2013.

George Eustice: The metric which underpins biodiversity offsetting accurately and objectively quantifies the impact of development on biodiversity and the level of compensation that would be required. This will better enable local planning authorities to ensure that there is no net loss to biodiversity as a result of development.
	The metric will encourage the strategic delivery of offsets in ways that contribute to Sir John Lawton's principles of:
	'bigger sites, better managed sites, and more inter-connected sites'.
	This can be achieved by encouraging aggregated and connected offsets of priority habitat. As a result, the Government believes offsetting will contribute to its ambition to create net gain for nature by contributing to the Biodiversity 2020 objective to create:
	'more, bigger and less fragmented areas for wildlife, with no net loss of priority habitat and an increase in the overall extent of priority habitats by at least 200,000 ha'.
	The 80% reduction in planning approvals for the clearance of fragile environments comes from work by Dr Phil Gibbons of the Australian National University (GIBBONS, P. (2010) ‘The case for biodiversity offsets’ Decision Point 39, 2-3). Other evidence supporting DEFRA's consultation was set out in the accompanying impact assessment. A detailed record of discussions during the trip to Australia is not available.

Fisheries: Morecambe Bay

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place the most recent version of the draft Morecambe Bay Hybrid Fisheries Order in the Library.

George Eustice: DEFRA is currently working with the North West Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority on a final draft of the Order. It would not be appropriate to release a draft at this stage, but we will do so when the final draft is ready. This will also go out for public consultation.

Floods: Chatham

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department spent on flood defences in Chatham and Aylesford constituency in (a) 2007-8, (b) 2008-09, (c) 2009-10, (d) 2010-11, (e) 2011-12 and (f) 2012-13; and how much has been allocated by his Department for flood defences in that constituency in (i) 2013-14, (ii) 2014-15 and (iii) 2015-16.

Dan Rogerson: holding answer 6 February 2014
	The amount the Environment Agency has spent, or plans to spend, on flood defences projects in Chatham and Aylesford is as follows:
	
		
			  Spend (£) 
			 2007-08 124,000 
			 2008-09 124,000 
			 2009-10 142,000 
			 2010-11 59,000 
			 2011-12 59,000 
			 2012-13 77,000 
			 2013-14 1104,000 
			 2014-15 1222,000 
			 1 Planned spend 
		
	
	Figures do not include local levy funding. The allocation for 2015-16 has not yet been made.

Floods: Health Hazards

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research has been carried out by (a) his Department, (b) consultants for his Department and (c) agencies for which he is responsible on the effects on the release of methane gas from rotted grass and other vegetation inundated by the recent floods.

Dan Rogerson: To date there has been no specific research on the effects of rotting grass and other vegetation on the release of methane as a result of the recent floods by DEFRA, consultants or agencies.

Fuels: Waste

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he plans to publish a call for evidence on the refuse-derived fuel market; and what timetable he has set for publication of recommendations arising from that consultation. [R]

Dan Rogerson: We plan to publish a call for evidence on the refuse-derived fuel market in the spring. The timings for any follow-up consultation and recommendations on the way forward will depend on the evidence submitted.

Game

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the rise of the pheasant population and its impact on other wildlife.

George Eustice: DEFRA has not made an assessment of the rise of the pheasant population nor its impact on wildlife.

Marine Protected Areas

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the UK has taken towards achieving an international agreement under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea including a globally accepted mechanism for designation of high seas marine protected areas before the end of the 69th Session of the UN General Assembly this year.

George Eustice: In accordance with the commitment made in the Natural Environment White Paper, the Government is committed to the negotiation of a new implementing agreement under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction which should, in particular, address the designation of marine protected areas (MPAs).
	DEFRA, working in close cooperation with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, has played an active role in discussions on this issue at the United Nations Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction. At its last meeting, a process was agreed to prepare for a decision to be made by the end of the 69th session of UN General Assembly on the commencement of formal negotiations for a new Agreement.
	The UK will continue to press for an agreement that recognises the role MPAs play in the conservation of marine biodiversity when discussions on the scope, parameters and feasibility of any future implementing agreement are undertaken at the forthcoming UN Working Group meetings.

Pay

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (a) how many and (b) what proportion of staff employed by (i) his Department, (ii) agencies of his Department and (iii) contractors of his Department are paid less than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage.

Dan Rogerson: The Government supports businesses paying the living wage when it is affordable and not at the expense of jobs. The Government's primary policy for supporting the low paid is the national minimum wage which is carefully set at a level that maximises wages without damaging employment prospects.
	Core DEFRA has no direct employees paid less than the living wage. There is one agency worker in core DEFRA who is being paid below the living wage. This equates to 0.9% of agency workers in core DEFRA.
	AHVLA, RPA and VMD have no direct employees paid less than the living wage.
	CEFAS has two direct employees who are paid just below the living wage. This equates to 0.3% of staff employed by CEFAS.
	Fera has 17 direct employees, on an apprenticeship scheme, who are paid below the living wage. This equates to 2% of staff employed by Fera.
	There are 200 staff paid less than the living wage employed on two contracts, arranged by the core Department, providing services to the DEFRA estate. This equates to 35% of staff employed on these contracts. It would be of disproportionate cost to examine all our smaller contracts.

Plastic Bags: Recycling

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what provision exists for the recycling of plastic bags (a) nationally and (b) in Gloucestershire; and if he will make a statement.

Dan Rogerson: To reduce the overall environmental impact of single use plastic carrier bags, we have encouraged retailers to put recycling facilities for carrier bags at the front of their stores. This makes it easier for consumers to recycle their bags. We have worked with retailers to gain better data on their front of store recycling facilities, and over half of supermarket stores (of those which have provided data) have such facilities available. While this is good news, more can be done and we would like to see more such recycling facilities provided.
	We do not hold data on the provision of recycling facilities for carrier bags in Gloucestershire.

Royal Botanic Gardens Kew

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the potential effect of costs savings at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, on the scientific research and conservation work carried out at the gardens;
	(2)  what costs savings he expects to make at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, over the next 12 months; and what assessment he has made of the potential effect of such changes on the services provided to the public by the gardens.

Dan Rogerson: The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (RBG Kew) is funded from a variety of sources: Government, commercial income, charitable giving including through the independent charity the Kew Foundation and other grants. DEFRA provided £32.5 million in funding in financial year 2012-13, the most recent complete year of data, out of total income of £59.8 million.
	The total budget for financial year 2014-15 will be set by the RBG Kew Board of Trustees as part of the annual business planning process. This plan will specify the year's activities, including those relating to its scientific research and conservation work, and the services provided to the public by the gardens and will be agreed with Ministers.

Waste: Exports

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on the export of waste from the UK; and what assessment he has made of the effects of the recent increase in exports of refuse-derived fuel on gate fees in the UK. [R]

Dan Rogerson: All waste exports must comply with the requirements of the EU Waste Shipments Regulation. This does not allow the export of waste that is contaminated to the extent that it could not be managed in an environmentally sound manner. The Waste Shipments Regulation applies directly in the UK and is supplemented by a set of domestic regulations, the Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations.
	We are aware of concerns about the recent increase in exports of refuse-derived fuel and its effect on gate fees in the UK. We intend to publish a call for evidence shortly that will seek evidence on the market for refuse-derived fuel and the extent to which a market failure might exist. This will enable us to assess the effect of increased exports on the UK market for refuse-derived fuel, including its impact on gate fees.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Equality

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how many and what proportion of businesses participating in the Government's Think Act Report scheme have (a) conducted a gender pay audit, (b) are publicly reporting the pay of all employees by gender and (c) adopted any other measures under the Think Act Report scheme.

Jennifer Willott: Think, Act, Report is designed to drive greater transparency around the role of women in the workplace. The framework sets out around 50 measures on issues such as internal staff policies; the representation of women in different roles and grades; and pay scales. Companies supporting the Think, Act, Report choose which measures are most suitable for them to report against.
	Over 160 companies are now participating in the initiative, collectively employing just over two million people in the UK. All participating companies report against at least some of the measures in the framework. Of those companies responding to a recent survey, around half have conducted a gender pay audit; and some participating companies, such as Friends Life, publish detailed gender pay gap information for each grade. The Government is encouraging more companies to do this.
	Reporting the pay of all employees could be contrary to the Data Protection Act 1998, and is therefore not required by the initiative.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Atos Healthcare

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to his letter of 8 January 2014 to the hon. Member for Bishop Auckland on the performance of Atos, when he will publish the results of his Department's monitoring of the delivery and quality of service provided by Atos.

Michael Penning: The letter of 8 January 2014 referred to the Atos Healthcare complaints process for a constituent. There are no plans to publish the results of the Department's routine monitoring of the delivery and quality of Atos Healthcare service provided.

Atos Healthcare

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average waiting time is for applicants for personal independence payments to be seen by Atos Healthcare for an assessment in each region.

Michael Penning: The Department intends to publish official statistics on personal independence payment from spring 2014.

Atos Healthcare

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what target his Department has set Atos Healthcare for the length of time taken to complete assessments for personal independence payments; and what steps his Department takes when that target is not met;
	(2)  whether his Department has imposed any penalties on Atos Healthcare for delays that personal independence payment applicants have experienced in waiting for an assessment since April 2013.

Michael Penning: The Department has set both personal independence payment assessment providers a target for the length of time to complete assessments of 30 working days.
	The Department has robust expectations for provider performance and contracts include a full set of service level agreements setting out expectations for service delivery, including quality of assessments and the number of days to provide advice to the Department.
	Officials meet regularly with both assessment providers to discuss performance. Failure to meet contractual obligations will result in the Department applying service credits in line with the contract.

Children: Poverty

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of children living in poverty with at least one working parent; and what recent estimate he has made of such figures in each year to 2020.

Esther McVey: Estimates on the number of children in relative low income, absolute low income and combined low income and material deprivation who are in a family where at least one adult is in work are available in the following table.
	However, of the 1.5 million children in working families experiencing relative low income in 2011-12, only 100,000 were from families where all parents (including lone parent and couple families) were in full-time work.
	We do not believe you can accurately project child poverty to 2020. We know that poverty projections are rarely accurate. For example, IFS projections in October 2011 suggested the number of children in relative poverty would fall by 100,000 in 2010-11, whereas in fact it fell by 300,000.
	
		
			 Estimated number of children in relative low income, absolute low income and combined low income and material deprivation who are in a family where at least one adult works (Before Housing Costs), UK, 2011-12 
			 Million 
			  At least one working adult in family 
			 Relative low income 1.5 
			 Absolute low income 1.7 
			 Combined low income and material deprivation 0.7 
			 Notes: 1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data sourced from the 2011-12 Family Resources Survey (FRS). This uses disposable household income, adjusted using modified Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) equivalisation factors for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 2. Net disposable incomes have been used to answer this question. This includes earnings from employment and self-employment, state support, income from occupational and private pensions, investment income and other sources. Income tax payments, National Insurance contributions, council tax/domestic rates and some other payments are deducted from incomes. 3. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100,000. 4. Figures have been presented on a Before Housing Cost basis and therefore housing costs are not deducted from income. 5. When considering the living standards of children, measures after housing costs can underestimate the true standard of living as a family may make a choice to spend more on rent or mortgage to attain a higher standard of accommodation. 6. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to a degree of uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 7. The reference period for HBAI figures is the financial year. 8. In Households Below Average Income, a household is defined as a single person or group of people living at the same address as their only or main residence, who either share one meal together or share the living accommodation. This differs from a benefit unit (family), which is defined as a single adult or a married or cohabiting couple, plus any dependent children. From January 2006 same-sex partners (civil partners and cohabitees) are also included in the same benefit unit. A household will consist of one or more benefit units. The figures above are based on children living in households in relative low income, absolute low income, and combined low income and material deprivation, who are in families where at least one adult works. Source: HBAI 2011/12

Crisis Loans

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people received more than one crisis loan in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010, (d) 2011, (e) 2012 and (f) 2013.

Steve Webb: Table 1 gives the number of people who received two or more crisis loans between 2008 and 2012. The figures are presented by calendar year.
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of people who received two or more crisis loans between 2008 and 2012 
			  Number of people who received two or more crisis loans 
			 2008 384,400 
		
	
	
		
			 2009 539,000 
			 2010 581,800 
			 2011 508,100 
			 2012 442,500 
		
	
	The Crisis Loan scheme ended on 31 March 2013. 74,400 people received two or more crisis loans between 1 January 2013 and the end of the scheme. This figure includes loans that were received before 31 March 2013 but processed after this date.
	Notes:
	1. The information provided is Management Information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using Official/National Statistics but in this case we only have Management Information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as Official/National statistics.
	2. The volume of applications and awards for crisis loans increased following the introduction of telephone applications in 2007-08. In April 2011, the number of awards for crisis loans for general living expenses an individual could receive was limited to three in a rolling 12 month period, causing volumes to fall.
	3. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.

Crisis Loans

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people applied for crisis loans in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010, (d) 2011, (e) 2012 and (f) 2013.

Steve Webb: Table 1 gives the number of people who applied for Crisis Loans between 2008 and 2012. The figures are presented by calendar year.
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of people who applied for Crisis Loans between 2008 and 2012 
			  Number of people who applied for Crisis Loans 
			 2008 984,200 
			 2009 1,250,800 
			 2010 1,306,700 
			 2011 1,151,700 
			 2012 1,067,300 
			 Notes: 1. The information provided is Management Information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using Official/National Statistics but in this case we only have Management Information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as Official/National statistics. 2. The volume of applications and awards for Crisis Loans increased following the introduction of telephone applications in 2007-08. In April 2011, the number of awards for Crisis Loans for general living expenses an individual could receive was limited to three in a rolling 12 month period, causing volumes to fall. 3. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 100. 
		
	
	The Crisis Loan scheme ended on 31 March 2013. 414,100 people applied for Crisis Loans between 1 January 2013 and the end of the scheme. This figure includes loans that were received before 31 March 2013 but processed after this date.

Employment and Support Allowance

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of applicants for employment and support allowance who do not receive a decision within the target waiting time of 35 days; and what steps he is taking to expedite such applications.

Michael Penning: There is no 35 day target for making decisions on employment and support allowance.

Employment and Support Allowance

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 18 November 2013, Official Report, column 669W, on employment and support allowance, 
	(1)  if he will set out (a) the age of those with a mental health condition who were transferred from incapacity benefit to an employment and support allowance work-related activity group without being seen by an assessor, (b) what medical conditions those on incapacity benefit had been diagnosed with for the period September 2011 to November 2012 and how many such people have been diagnosed with each such condition and (c) what medical conditions those transferred from incapacity benefit to the employment and support allowance support group without being seen by an assessor have been diagnosed; and how many such people have been diagnosed with each such condition;
	(2)  if he will set out (a) what medical conditions those transferred from incapacity benefit to jobseeker's allowance without being seen by an assessor have been diagnosed with and how many such people have been diagnosed with each such condition, (b) what medical conditions those transferred from incapacity benefit to the employment and support allowance support group after having being seen by an assessor have been diagnosed with and how many such people have been diagnosed with each such condition and (c) what medical conditions those transferred from incapacity benefit to the employment and support allowance work-related activity group after having being seen by an assessor have been diagnosed with; and how many such people have been diagnosed with each such condition.

Esther McVey: In Tables 1 and 2 I provide the relevant information requested where it is possible and not disproportionate to do so. However, as noted in the previous answer, decisions on entitlement for employment and support allowance are not based on a diagnosed condition. The decision to place an incapacity benefit claimant onto employment and support allowance, or to support them onto jobseeker’s allowance, following the outcome of their work capability assessment is based on the impact that such conditions have on a claimant's functional ability.
	With regards to those incapacity benefit claimants who are reassessed and subsequently supported onto jobseeker’s allowance, all of these claimants will have received a face-to-face assessment. Claimants are not found fit-for-work without a face-to-face assessment.
	Table 1 shows the ages of incapacity benefit claimants in the mental and behavioural diagnosis group that were referred for reassessment between September 2011 to November 2012, received a paper based assessments and were placed in the Work-Related Activity Group or the Support Group. (Figures for Great Britain only.)
	
		
			  WRAG SG 
			 All Ages 71,900 69,200 
			 18-24 2,100 3,500 
			 25-34 10,900 13,700 
			 35-44 18,600 16,300 
		
	
	
		
			 45-49 12,600 11,400 
			 50-54 12,500 11,100 
			 55+ 15,200 13,100 
		
	
	Table 2 shows those incapacity benefit IB claimants referred for reassessment between 2011 to November 2012 by diagnosis group and whether placed in the Work-Related Activity Group or the Support Group. (Figures for Great Britain only.)
	
		
			 Diagnosis group WRAG SG WRAG SG 
			 All 145,300 146,100 126,100 69,100 
			 Diseases of the Musculoskeletal system and Connective Tissue 24,400 15,300 22,500 11,000 
			 Diseases of the Nervous System 10,300 15,300 6,200 3,100 
			 Diseases of the Respiratory and Circulatory System 7,900 9,800 4,900 4,600 
			 Injury Poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes 1,700 1,600 2,000 1,200 
			 Mental and Behavioural disorders 71,900 69,200 65,000 32,900 
			 Other 29,000 34,800 25,400 16,400

Employment and Support Allowance

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 18 November 2013, Official Report, column 669W, on employment and support allowance, if he will set out (a) what medical conditions those transferred from incapacity benefit to jobseeker's allowance after having being seen by an assessor have been diagnosed with and how many such people have been diagnosed with each such condition and (b) how many people put in the work related activity group without having been seen by an assessor have been in contact with the work programme; how many such people have achieved employment outcomes; how many people put in the work related activity group after having been seen by an assessor have been in contact with the work programme; how many such people have achieved employment outcomes; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: The information is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Employment: Sex Establishments

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what recent evidence his Department has about the future career choices of people whose first job is in ancillary roles in sex establishments such as pole dancing clubs and massage parlours;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the future career choices of people whose first job is in ancillary roles in adult entertainment establishments.

Esther McVey: The information requested is not available.

Employment: Sex Establishments

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  if he will review the decision to offer job subsidies for the employment of teenagers as auxiliary workers in lap and pole dancing clubs, strip clubs and in saunas and massage parlours; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will make it his policy not to offer job subsidies for employing teenagers as auxiliary workers in adult entertainment establishments; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: This Government took action to ensure jobs in the adult entertainment industry which might exploit jobseekers were not advertised through Jobcentre Plus. The Welfare Reform Act 2012 ensured that vacancies which involve performing sexual activities were banned from being advertised on Government websites and a distinction was made in law to differentiate between performers and ancillary workers. Jobcentre Plus work coaches are specifically guided to only discuss these vacancies with claimants who ask about them.

Financial Services

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2014, Official Report, column 207W, on financial services, on what dates (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department met (i) the CBI, (ii) the TUC, (iii) Which?, (iv) the NAPF and (v) Age UK in the last four months; and what the purpose of each such meeting was.

Steve Webb: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) Details of meetings with external organisations held by DWP ministers are published quarterly, three months in arrears, on GOV.UK as part of this Government's transparency drive. Information relating to October to December 2013 is due to be published in April 2014.
	(b) In the last four months Department for Work and Pensions officials have met representatives from the CBI four times, representatives from the TUC on five occasions, representatives from Which? nine times, representatives from the NAPF on 13 occasions, and representatives from Age UK three times. Officials have also met with some NAPF members.
	Discussions have covered research findings, pension protection following transfer of employment, definition of money purchase benefits, the new TPR objective, GMP conversion and equalisation; complex multi employer schemes, automatic transfers; commission; proposals outlined in the consultation on charging; risk sharing, scheme quality; and decumulation.
	The above lists are not exhaustive, as officials also have contact with stakeholders from across the industry through working groups, roundtables, open workshops, and other collective forums.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his oral answer of 13 January 2014, Official Report, column 577, what the evidential basis was for his estimate of between 3,000 and 5,000 people that may have been affected by the under-occupancy penalty since April 2013.

Esther McVey: On the information currently available, we estimate the numbers affected are likely to be fewer than 5,000 nationally.
	This is based on the assumption that if a claimant's current claim started before 1 January 1996 they would have been entitled to the transitional protection and therefore affected.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of social housing tenants affected by the implementation of the under-occupancy penalty are (a) men and (b) women.

Esther McVey: This information is provided in our equality impact assessment available from:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/214329/social-sector-housing-under-occupation-wr2011-ia.pdf

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of social housing tenants who have moved to smaller social housing since the introduction of the under-occupancy penalty are (a) women and (b) men.

Esther McVey: The information requested is not available.

Jobseeker’s Allowance: Disqualification

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people claiming jobseeker's allowance were issued with a sanction in each of the last five years; and how many of these subsequently did not keep their claim alive.

Esther McVey: I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave to his previous question number 183792, on 22 January 2014, Official Report, column 248W.
	The information requested on the number of sanctions claimants who subsequently did not keep their claim alive is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Service Charges

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many of the 16 examples of ineligible service charges, outlined in Universal Credit service charges—guidance for landlords in April 2013, are currently eligible service charges under housing benefit.

Steve Webb: Housing benefit regulations stipulate which service charges are ineligible. For universal credit the regulations say what service charges are eligible. The intention is that there should be no difference in outcome for tenants, landlords and owner-occupiers in respect of what charges are eligible under housing benefit and universal credit and the published universal credit guidance on service charges makes that clear.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the annual (a) staffing and (b) other costs are of conducting medical interviews for employment and support allowance and disability living allowance applicants.

Michael Penning: Atos Healthcare conducts assessments on behalf of the Department, at a cost of approximately £100 million per annum. This figure not only covers the total number of assessments undertaken across all benefits (excluding personal independence payment) and all costs relating to written and verbal medical advice, fixed overheads, staffing, administrative costs, investment in new technology and other services.

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the Government's commitment to give due consideration to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) when making new policy and legislation, if he will place in the Library all assessments of how new policy and legislation from his Department since January 2013 has given due consideration to the UNCRC.

Esther McVey: The Department for Work and Pensions is fully committed to considering the impact of all new policies and legislation, where they impact specifically on children. We have embedded equality analysis into the processes we use to develop, deliver and evaluate our policies, practices and services. This ensures that we continue to assess the likely and actual effects of what we do on children, where applicable, and other groups with protected characteristics. The decision to publish details of equality analysis is made on a case by basis by the appropriate Senior Responsible Officer.
	We place the interests and wellbeing of children and young people at the heart of all our work. While developing the 2014 Child Poverty Strategy we have consulted groups representing children, and their rights and wellbeing, in the 2012 Child Poverty Measurement Consultation which ran until February 2013. The response is forthcoming. In addition we have consulted the views of children and young people, and their representatives and families, in a series of focus groups and events prior to the launch of the 2014 Strategy's online consultation.
	Prior to the introduction of new legislation detailed consideration is undertaken to ensure that the Bill is compatible with individual's convention rights; which overlaps with the rights set out in the UNCRC.
	More widely, the coalition Government is due to report to the UN Committee responsible for the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child shortly. The Department for Education is coordinating the response with contributions from other Government Departments, including the work that the Department for Work and Pensions has undertaken. Once the Government has submitted its response to the UN Committee, a copy will be placed in the House Library.
	The 2012-13 measures consultation:
	http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm84/8483/8483.pdf

Warm Home Discount Scheme: Isle of Wight

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households on the Isle of Wight have benefited from the warm homes discount scheme.

Steve Webb: The information requested is not available. The number of people who received a Warm Home Discount in Great Britain in winter 2012-13 was around 1.1 million; figures are not available below this level.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of (a) all participants and (b) lone parents have secured a sustained job outcome following their participation in the Work programme in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Esther McVey: Statistics on how many people secured a sustained job outcome following participation in the Work programme, including those who are lone parents, for the latest data available can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dwp-statistics-tabulation-tool
	Guidance for users is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-tabulation-tool-guidance

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been paid to Work programme providers as (a) attachment payments, (b) job outcome payments and (c) sustainment payments for (i) all Work programme participants and (ii) jobseeker's allowance customers since June 2011.

Esther McVey: The total paid to Work programme providers in the UK for all Work programme participants is £1,047 million, made up of:
	£504 million Attachments payments
	£242 million Job Outcome payments
	£301 million Sustainment payments.
	The amount paid in respect of JSA customers (Payment Groups 1, 2, 3, 4 and 9) is £931 million made up of:
	£409 million Attachments payments
	£233 million Job Outcome payments
	£289 million Sustainment payments
	Spend figures are from the start of the programme through to 30 September 2013, the period covered by the December 2013 Statistical Release.
	The Work programme is payment by results. Not only does the Work programme support people into employment, it is also designed with the crucial aim of keeping them there. It encourages long-term private sector employment, not a short-term fix. Providers are paid according to the results they deliver, not rewarded for failure.

Working Mothers

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the benefit to the economy of mothers in work in each of the last five years.

Esther McVey: Mothers make a valuable contribution to the economy every year, with the 5.8 million mothers with dependent children in employment in the UK in 2013 (Labour Force Survey, Q2 2013) accounting for around a fifth of the workforce.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Decentralisation

Ben Gummer: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister What discussions he has had with his ministerial colleagues on the role of decentralisation in the implementation of the Heseltine review.

Greg Clark: The Government published its response to Lord Heseltine's report in March 2013, accepting his recommendation to devolve powers and resources from central Government to local places.
	Lord Heseltine is accompanying me as we meet all 39 local enterprise partnerships to provide feedback on their draft bids.

Decentralisation

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had with his ministerial colleagues on devolution and decentralisation.

Greg Clark: This Government is committed to decentralisation of power and funding to local communities. Most recently, I, alongside my ministerial colleagues from the Departments for local government, business and transport are going round the country to meet representatives from all 39 local enterprise partnerships to discuss their proposals to drive economic growth.

City Deals

Therese Coffey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress he has made on the implementation of the second wave of city deals.

Mark Pawsey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress he has made on the implementation of the second wave of city deals.

Greg Clark: The Government is making excellent progress in the second wave of City Deals. To date we have conducted 12 deals with cities and I am confident that we will conclude the remaining deals in the coming weeks.
	Delivery of each Wave 2 City Deal is underpinned by detailed implementation plans, which were agreed with local leaders as part of their deal. These plans are supported by strong city-wide governance arrangements. In addition to local delivery arrangements the Government will also monitor the delivery of each deal, ensuring that both cities and the Government live up to the commitments that have been made.

Enfranchisement: 16-year-olds

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his policy is on votes for 16-year-olds.

Nicholas Clegg: I responded to the hon. Member's question at Deputy Prime Minister's Questions on 11 February 2014.

Public Appointments

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what role he plays in making public appointments across Government; and if he will make a statement.

Nicholas Clegg: The Prime Minister takes my views into account when fulfilling his statutory role in making public appointments.

Colombia

Jim Shannon: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he had with (a) church groups, (b) unions and (c) political opposition parties in Colombia on his forthcoming visit to that country.

Nicholas Clegg: I set out details of my visit to Colombia and Mexico at Deputy Prime Minister's Questions on 11 February 2014.

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Paul Burstow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister with reference to the Government's commitment to give due consideration to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) when making new policy and legislation, if he will place in the Library all assessments of how new policy and legislation from his Office since January 2013 has given due consideration to the UNCRC.

Nicholas Clegg: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Civil Society on 10 February 2014, Official Report, column 552W.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Eggborough Power Station

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps have been taken to prepare for conversion of the Eggborough power plant to biomass before the decision not to award Eggborough a green subsidy.

Michael Fallon: Any steps taken to prepare Eggborough for conversion are a matter for the company.
	Based on their provisional ranking following phase 2 of FID Enabling for Renewables, the three Eggborough biomass conversion units that applied to the process have provisionally been assessed as not being affordable. They remain in the process and have received a draft investment contract and have been invited to submit a binding application in March 2014. The final selection of projects and affordability assessment will be carried out following the receipt of binding applications.

Eggborough Power Station

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the costs to the public purse were of preparation for conversion of Eggborough power plant to biomass.

Michael Fallon: The Department has not provided financial support towards any cost of preparation for conversion of Eggborough power plant to biomass.
	Based on their provisional ranking following phase 2 of FID Enabling for Renewables, the three Eggborough biomass conversion units that applied to the process have provisionally been assessed as not being affordable. They remain in the process and have received a draft investment contract and have been invited to submit a binding application in March 2014. The final selection of projects and affordability assessment will be carried out following the receipt of binding applications.

Eggborough Power Station

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether any Minister in his Department has visited Eggborough power plant in the last 12 months.

Michael Fallon: No Minister in the Department has visited Eggborough power plant in the last 12 months.

Eggborough Power Station

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions or meetings (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) officials in his Department have had with representatives of recognised trade unions about the future of the Eggborough plant.

Michael Fallon: Eggborough Power Limited has applied for an Investment Contract under the Department of Energy and Climate Change's Final Investment Decision (FID) Enabling for Renewables project. While the selection process for Investment Contract is ongoing, neither the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), Ministers or officials in his Department have met with trade union representatives to discuss Eggborough's FID Enabling for Renewables application or the future of the plant.

Eggborough Power Station

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of the Eggborough plant is owned by foreign companies.

Michael Fallon: Eggborough has been an independent business since 1 April 2010. The Department does not hold information on individuals or companies that may hold an interest in Eggborough power plant.

Eggborough Power Station

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to keep the Eggborough power plant open beyond 2015.

Michael Fallon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Bassetlaw (John Mann) on 28 January 2014, Official Report, column 517W.

Eggborough Power Station

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  how many people are employed on a zero hours contract at the Eggborough power plant;
	(2)  how many apprenticeships will be incomplete if the Eggborough power plant closes in 2015.

Michael Fallon: The Department does not hold this information.

Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 17 January 2014, Official Report, columns 703-4W, on energy, what assessment his Department has made of the market share of suppliers in the non-domestic energy market in the last 10 years.

Michael Fallon: The non-domestic electricity markets consists of customers who have their meters read every half-hour-HH consumers (big organisations that consume a peak load of 100 kWh of electricity during a day) and non-half hour consumers-Non-HH (medium to small organisations).
	The non-domestic gas markets consists of customers who have their meters read on a daily basis-DM consumers (high usage) and non-daily metered-nDM (low usage).
	The following reports published by Ofgem show the market share in the non-domestic supply market in Great Britain in 2005, 2007 and 2012.
	2005 National Report to European Commission:
	http://www.ceer.eu/portal/page/portal/EER_HOME/EER_PUBLICATIONS/NATIONAL_REPORTS/NR_2005/NR/E05-REP-01-03Z_NATIONAL%20REPORTS_QU-UK-V2.PDF
	page 41 for electricity and page 77 for gas.
	Energy Supply Probe Initial Findings Report in October 2008:
	https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/ofgem-publications/82755/2013greatbritainandnorthernirelandnationalreportstotheeuropean commission.pdf
	pages 127 for electricity and 128 for gas.
	2013 National Report to the European Commission:
	https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/ofgem-publications/82755/2013greatbritainandnorthernirelandnationalreportstotheeuropean commission.pdf
	pages 60 for electricity and 111 for gas.
	The following tables show the market share for non-HH electricity and nDM for gas in 2005, 2007 and 2012.
	
		
			 Non-domestic electricity non-HH market share 
			  Percentage of market share: 
			 Supplier December 2005 December 2007 December 2012 
			 British Gas 27.54 26.3 24.3 
			 E.ON (formerly Powergen) 16.09 17.6 22.1 
			 RWE nPower 22.16 12.9 8.8 
			 Scottish Power 7.55 11.5 7.4 
			 SSE 10.66 11.4 15.2 
			 Edf 8.7 11.4 14.8 
			 Bizz 0 3.3 0 
			 E4B 0 2.3 0 
			 Opus 0 1.4 5.1 
			 British Energy 0 1.4 0 
			 Haven 0 0 1.6 
			 Gazprom 0 0 0.2 
			 Good Energy 0 0 0.1 
			 Others 0 1.3 0.2 
		
	
	
		
			 Non-domestic gas non-daily metered market share 
			  Percentage of market share: 
			 Supplier December 2005 December 2007 December 2012 
			 British Gas 21.46 47.7 35.5 
			 E.ON 24.07 20.7 25.6 
			 RWE nPower 6.10 8.3 0.8 
			 Scottish Power 0 7.2 1.0 
			 SSE 0 6.9 5.7 
			 Total Gas 13.81 3.5 6.6 
			 Edf 0 3.3 0.3 
			 Corona 0 1.0 11.9 
			 Gazprom 0 0 6.5 
			 Opus 0 0 2.4 
			 Dong 0 0 2.0 
			 GDF 4.57 0 1.4 
			 ENI 0 0 0.1 
		
	
	
		
			 Shell Gas 16.05 0 0 
			 Others 0 1.4 0.1

Energy

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the (a) number of switches and (b) number of switches according to different indicators of vulnerability in each collective switching scheme supported by the Cheaper Energy Together fund.

Michael Fallon: Table A shows the number of switches for each collective switching scheme supported by the Cheaper Energy Together fund.
	Table B shows the number of switches according to different indicators of vulnerability in each collective switching scheme supported by the Cheaper Energy Together fund, which schemes were asked to collect. Most schemes asked questions during sign-up although some sent consumers a follow-on survey. These questions were optional for households to answer since they contain personal data so the figures may be underestimates. Schemes did not include all suggested questions due to concerns that they would put off households from registering.
	Further data is available at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/253862/Helping_Customers_Switch_Collective _Switching_and_Beyond_final__2_.pdf
	
		
			 Table A: Number of switches 
			  Number of consumers having switched/ accepted the offer 
			 Total 21,641 
			   
			 Isle of Wight Council 2,107 
			 People's Power 980 
			 Centre for Sustainable Energy 1,242 
			 Exeter City Council 324 
			 Eden Project 1,174 
			 Birmingham City Council 171 
			 Changeworks 525 
			 Community Energy Direct 618 
			 Nottingham City Council1 136 
			 Calderdale Council2 692 
			 Norwich City Council 354 
			 Sheffield City Council 709 
			 Broadland District Council 287 
			 East Riding Council 1,786 
			 Coventry City Council 163 
			 Cheshire East Council 301 
			 Woking Borough Council 1,043 
			 North Norfolk District Council 295 
			 Northumberland County Council 108 
			 Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council 857 
			 South Tyneside Council 123 
			 Peterborough City Council 84 
			 Wiltshire Council3 72 
			 Oldham Council4 5,084 
			 London Borough of Tower Hamlets (part of Big London Switch) 73 
			 Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames (Big London Switch)5 2,124 
			 Tunbridge Wells Borough Council 209 
		
	
	
		
			 Table B: Number of switches according to different indicators of vulnerability6 
			  Benefits7 Elderly8 Long term sick/disabled9 Children10 Household income11 Never switched before No internet 
			 Total 1,713 5,285 2,012 791 2,551 7,470 1,954 
			         
			 Isle of Wight Council 310 790 27 81 348 875  
			 People's Power — — — — — — — 
			 Centre for Sustainable Energy — — — — — — — 
			 Exeter City Council — 17 55 22 19 131 73 
			 Eden Project — 340 247 85 141 141 162 
			 Birmingham City Council — 27 62 12 50 46 — 
			 Changeworks — 100 89 — 242 236 — 
			 Community Energy Direct — — — — — — 20 
			 Nottingham City Council — — — — — — — 
			 Calderdale Council12 17 106 24 6 30 142 25 
			 Norwich City Council — — — — — 245 23 
			 Sheffield City Council 65 201 70 37 82 283 51 
			 Broadland District Council 33 177 36 15 48 221 29 
			 East Riding Council 375 1,052 388 104 490 1,224 1,102 
			 Coventry City Council 54 67 39 16 65 42 41 
			 Cheshire East Council 27 167 41 17 50 204 22 
			 Woking Borough Council — — — — — 720 7 
			 North Norfolk District Council 37 202 52 11 57 221 22 
			 Northumberland County Council 21 60 20 1 26 78 18 
			 Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council 140 433 168 52 182 307 87 
			 South Tyneside Council 24 58 24 4 31 90 15 
			 Peterborough City Council 17 39 12 8 21 55 7 
			 Wiltshire Council13 7 45 7 3 12 51 4 
			 Oldham Council14 249 523 256 111 286 871 123 
			 London Borough of Tower Hamlets 23 26 24 9 18 51 16 
			 Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames15 293 746 342 185 324 1,236 107 
			 Tunbridge Wells Borough Council 21 108 30 13 30 — — 
			 1 Nottingham provided an instant switching service and a collective switching service. These results are for both. 2 These data cover an auction in January and April 3 These data cover an auction in April and June. 4 These data cover an auction in January and April. 5 These data cover an auction in April and June. 6 ‘—’ means data are unavailable. 7 Pension credit (guaranteed credit or savings credit), income support or income-based jobseeker's allowance, income-related employment support allowance (ESAIR) that includes a work related activity or support component, child tax credit and has an income of £15,860 or less, working tax credit and has an income of £15,860 or less, undisclosed benefit. 8 Household contains someone aged 60 or over. 9 Household contains someone with a long-term illness or disability that limits their activities 10 A child under the age of five ordinarily resides in the household. 11 Household income below £13,380. 12 These data are only for April auction. 13 These data are only for April auction. 14 These data are only for April auction 15 These data are only for April auction.

Energy

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the average level of savings made by customers in each socio-economic group from each collective switching scheme supported by the Cheaper Energy Together fund.

Michael Fallon: We do not hold information on the level of savings made by customers in each socio-economic group from schemes supported by Cheaper Energy Together. We have published data on a variety of other indicators from collective switching schemes supported by Cheaper Energy Together, which is available at this link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/253862/Helping_Customers_ Switch_Collective_Switching_and_Beyond_final__2_.pdf

Energy: Prices

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the written answer of 29 January 2014, Official Report, column 575W, on energy: prices, if he will make it his policy to require suppliers to pass on the savings from changes to green levies to customers on fixed-price deals.

Michael Fallon: The Government sees no reason why suppliers should not be able to apply the same savings to fixed and variable customers, and continues to make this clear, to the companies concerned.

Flood Control

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what research has been undertaken (a) by his Department or (b) on behalf of his Department on the adequacy of sea defences to protect the (i) Sellafield nuclear site and (ii) low level waste repository at Drigg.

Michael Fallon: DECC has not undertaken any research on the adequacy of sea defences to protect the Sellafield nuclear site or the low level waste repository at Drigg.
	DECC is advised by the Office for Nuclear Regulation, which regulates nuclear safety and security, that the licensed site operators commissioned such research to inform their judgments on the adequacy of flood defences, and that the regulator is satisfied with those judgments that adequate safety measures are in place to protect nuclear facilities at the sites against flooding risk, including in worst-case scenarios.
	In addition, the Environment agency Shoreline Management Plans (SMP) provide a large-scale assessment of the risks associated with erosion and flooding at the coast. They present policies to help manage those risks and sit at the top of a hierarchy of local authority and Environment agency plans for coastal risk management. The plans cover a 100-year period and take climate change and sea-level rise into account.

Fracking

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what quantities of liquid and solid wastes were produced at drill sites operated by Cuadrilla Resources at (a) Preese Hall, (b) Balcombe and (c) Becconsall; what the composition of those wastes were; how and where those wastes were treated and disposed of; and what permits were issued for their storage, transport and disposal, for each year of activity on each site.

Dan Rogerson: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
	No permits were issued for the Preese Hall and Becconsall sites as activities were carried out before changes to environmental legislation. Details for each site of the quantities removed are held by Cuadrilla and are available for inspection by the Environment Agency if required. Specific details of disposal for each site cannot be revealed at this time because they remain commercially confidential.
	At Preese Hall the majority of the return water produced was removed and treated at United Utilities industrial effluent treatment facility at their Davyhulme water treatment works in Greater Manchester. From October 2011 around 120 cubic meters of flow back that remained on site was stored safely until the summer of 2012. It was then used in a series of trials at further industrial treatment sites.
	Waste drilling muds and drill cutting were also produced as the well bore was being drilled during 2010-12. These were disposed at sites licensed to accept waste under the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2010.
	For activities at Balcombe, Cuadrilla was issued a Mining Waste Facility permit and a Radioactive Substances Activity permit by the Environment Agency. Waste drilling muds and drill cuttings were produced during the drilling activity. The disposal sites being used were appropriately permitted.
	At Becconsall waste drilling muds and drill cuttings were produced as the well bore was being drilled during 2011-12. These were disposed of at sites licensed to accept waste under the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2010, as issued by the Environment Agency.

Fracking

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if the Government will ensure that any benefits that come from fracking will be experienced by the whole country and economy.

Michael Fallon: holding answer 10 February 2014
	The Government is determined that the UK economy will benefit from any shale gas development that might take place through benefits such as increased tax revenues, greater energy security, growth and jobs.

Fracking

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of revenues from fracking he expects will accrue to (a) the Exchequer, (b) local communities and (c) private companies.

Michael Fallon: holding answer 10 February 2014
	While there is potential for shale gas to provide substantial revenue to the Exchequer in the future, until more work is done to determine the extent of gas that can be technically and commercially recovered, we will not be able to forecast the proportion of revenue that might accrue to the Exchequer or to private companies.
	The Government is committed to ensuring that communities hosting shale developments benefit from development in their local area. That is why on 13 January the Government announced 100% local retention of business rates for shale production projects. In addition, the industry has brought forward a community benefits package which the Government has welcomed. At exploration stage, the industry will provide £100,000 per hydraulically fractured well site. The industry is also committed to providing 1% of revenue at production stage.

Staff

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of staff of (a) his Department and (b) agencies and public bodies accountable to him work outside of London; and in which local authorities such staff are located.

Gregory Barker: The proportion of staff who work for and those accountable to the Department of Energy and Climate Change who work outside of London and the local authorities in which they are based are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Local authorities Proportion of staff working outside of London (percentage) 
			 Department of Energy and Climate Change North East Scotland 6 
			    
			 Coal Authority Nottinghamshire, Tyne and Wear, South Yorkshire, Carmarthenshire, Clackmannanshire, Derbyshire, Glamorgan, County Durham, Lanarkshire, Pontypridd, Berwickshire 100 
			    
			 Civil Nuclear Police Authority Cheshire, North Lanarkshire, Cumbria, Cleveland, Lancashire, Highland, West Kilbride, East Lothian, Surrey, Kent, Suffolk, Oxfordshire, Somerset, North Wales 100 
			    
			 Committee on Climate Change — 0 
			    
			 Nuclear Decommissioning Authority Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Oxfordshire, Highland 99

Wind Power

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress he has made in instituting safeguards to prevent the selling and operation of turbines which have been de-rated to allow them to benefit from higher tariffs; and what recent assessment he has made of trends in the number of de-rated turbines.

Michael Fallon: holding answer 10 February 2014
	Up to the end of September 2013, 110 turbines had been installed under the Feed-in Tariff scheme (FITs) in the 100-500 kW band, representing just 2.2% of wind sites. Of these 110, only eight, with a total installed capacity between 490-500 kW, had been de-rated.
	Although the practice is therefore not widespread, we continue to take it seriously. We have discussed the issue with RenewablesUK and turbine manufacturers but have not so far been able to identify a workable technical solution. However, we will keep open discussions with the industry on this issue, and are committed to take action, if necessary.

WALES

Wrexham-Bidston Railway Line

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which organisations are participating in the group of stakeholders created on 22 August 2013 to discuss the business case for electrification of the Wrexham to Bidston line; what the names are of the individuals representing those organisations; and on what date that group has been asked to report back with its recommendations.

David Jones: On 22 August 2013, I met with a number of key stakeholders, interested businesses and local authority members to discuss the importance of the electrification of the Wrexham to Bidston line to the region.
	Represented at that meeting were:
	Chester and Cheshire West council;
	Comtek Network Systems (UK) Limited;
	Deeside Industrial Park Business Forum;
	Denbighshire county council;
	Flintshire county council;
	Liverpool City Region LEP;
	Mersey Dee Alliance;
	Merseytravel;
	North Wales Economic Ambition Board;
	Peel Holdings;
	TAITH;
	West Cheshire and North Wales Chamber of Commerce and Industry;
	Wirral council;
	Wirral Chamber of Commerce and Industry; and
	Wrexham county borough council.
	The hon. Member for Wrexham (Ian Lucas) was also present.
	At the meeting Merseytravel committed to commissioning a demand study for the Wrexham to Bidston line. Subsequently, the Welsh Government has agreed to co-fund this study with Merseytravel and I understand the conclusions from that study will be available later this year.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with reference to the Government's commitment to give due consideration to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) when making new policy and legislation, if she will place in the Library all assessments of how new policy and legislation from her Department since January 2013 has given due consideration to the UNCRC.

Alan Duncan: DFID has not put forward any primary legislation since January 2013.
	In our policies and programmes, the UK Government supports children's rights in all the countries where we work. This includes tackling the problems that threaten these rights, e.g. conflict, poor governance, extreme poverty, economic development, and climate change. We also provide resources for delivering better health and education, water and sanitation, nutrition and protection. We also support efforts to engage children as active participants in their societies.
	More widely, the Government is shortly due to report to the UN Committee responsible for the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Department for Education is co-ordinating the response with contributions from other Government Departments, including DFID. Once the Government has submitted its response to the UN Committee, a copy will be placed in the House Library.

JUSTICE

Contempt of Court

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were imprisoned in each division in each month since May 2013 for contempt of court.

Jeremy Wright: The following table sets out the number of people who were received into custody for contempt of court between May 2013 and September 2013 (the latest available figures). Contempt of court covers a wide variety of conduct which undermines or has the potential to undermine the course of justice.
	
		
			  Number of people received into custody for contempt of court 
			 May 2013 11 
			 June 2013 8 
			 July 2013 13 
			 August 2013 14 
			 September 2013 7 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Dangerous Driving

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport about the 38 per cent rise in fatalities caused by dangerous driving in the last 12 months; and what steps he is taking in response to that rise.

Damian Green: The UK has one of the best road safety records in the world, but every death is a tragedy for the victim and family and close friends. We are in regular contact with the Department for Transport to ensure that maximum penalties for serious road traffic offences properly reflect the culpability of offenders and to improve the skills and attitudes of drivers and riders to reduce the number of fatal collisions. The latest statistics indicate that the number of offenders proceeded against for causing death by dangerous driving has fallen since 2010, while sentence lengths have increased.

Driving under Influence: Drugs

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prosecutions have been brought under section 4 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, where being under the influence of legal highs was a contributing factor in each of the last five years.

Shailesh Vara: If someone is convicted of driving or attempting to drive a mechanically powered vehicle whilst unfit due to drink or drugs, they face a custodial sentence of up to six months and an obligatory driving disqualification of at least 12 months. Maximum penalties of 14 years' imprisonment are also available for those who cause death through dangerous driving or by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs - and courts impose very severe sentences for these offences.
	Information held centrally by the Ministry' of Justice on the Court Proceedings Database does not, however, contain information about the circumstances behind each case, beyond the description provided in the statute under which proceedings are brought. It is not possible to identify from this centrally held information prosecutions brought under section 4 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, in which the use of legal highs was a contributing factor. This detailed information may be held on the court record but due to the size and complexity is not reported centrally to the MOJ. As such, the information requested can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Hezbollah

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether any individuals in England or Wales have been found guilty of fundraising for Hezbollah's proscribed military wing to date.

James Brokenshire: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Home Department.
	Since the proscription of the Hezbollah military wing, no individuals have been convicted of fundraising for Hezbollah's military wing.

Homicide: Children

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) men and (b) women have been convicted of murdering one or more of their children in each of the last five years.

Norman Baker: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Home Department.
	The available information is given in the table and is taken from the Home Office Homicide Index. The data given cover the period 2007-08 to 2011-12. The latest homicide statistics for 2012-13 will be released on 13 February 2014 in the ‘Focus on: Violent Crime and Sexual Offences’ publication which will be available on the Office for National Statistics website.
	The circumstances surrounding a homicide can be complex and it can take time for cases to pass through the criminal justice system. Due to this, there are a number of homicide cases where criminal proceedings have yet to reach a conclusion.
	
		
			 Suspects convicted of murdering one or more of their children1 by sex of suspect, 2007-08 to 2011-122—England and Wales 
			 Number 
			 Conviction 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Male suspects      
			 Murder 13 5 8 2 3 
			 Other manslaughter 6 7 5 1 2 
		
	
	
		
			 Section 2 manslaughter (diminished responsibility) 1 0 2 0 1 
			 Infanticide 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Total convicted of homicide 20 12 15 3 6 
			       
			 Female suspects      
			 Murder 3 2 3 0 1 
			 Other manslaughter 4 3 2 0 2 
			 Section 2 manslaughter (diminished responsibility) 2 3 3 4 0 
			 Infanticide 0 1 0 2 1 
			 Total convicted of homicide 9 9 8 6 4 
			       
			 Total 29 21 23 9 10 
			 1 As at 1 November 2012; figures are subject la revision as cases are dealt with by the police and the courts, or as further information becomes available. 2 Includes victims of all ages. Source: Homicide Index, Home Office

Northern Ireland

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assets his Department has sold in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; and what the value of each such sale was.

Shailesh Vara: The Ministry of Justice has not sold any assets in Northern Ireland in the last five years.

Oakwood Prison

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff on each grade have (a) been recruited to work in HM Prison Oakwood and (b) left in each year since that prison opened.

Jeremy Wright: The information requested is not collected centrally and could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost. At HMP Oakwood, staff are employed by a number of providers to deliver a range of services including, for example, probation services, education and healthcare, as well as custodial services.

Oakwood Prison

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of the senior management working at HM Prison Oakwood when it took its first prisoners had previous experience of working in a prison;
	(2)  how many of the senior management at HM Prison Oakwood had (a) no, (b) up to six months, (c) between six and 12 months and (d) over 12 months previous experience working in a prison at the time of that prison's opening.

Jeremy Wright: The information requested could not be obtained at present. I will write to the right hon. Member in due course.

Prison Service: Staff

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  which prisons have reported staff shortages that have required staff to be called in from other prisons in each month since May 2010;
	(2)  which prisons have used staff on deferred duty from other prisons in each month since May 2010.

Jeremy Wright: Information on the number of prisons both reporting staff shortages and using staff on detached duty from other prisons is not available centrally and could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.

Prison Service: Staff

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many staff in the Prison Service have been on deferred duty in each month since May 2010;
	(2)  how much was spent on (a) travel, (b) accommodation and (c) subsistence costs for deferred duty cover for staff in the Prison Service each month since May 2010.

Jeremy Wright: We have interpreted the question to refer to detached duty, the term deferred duty is not used by the National Offender Management Service. Information on the number of staff that have been on detached duty and information on the cost incurred, broken down by travel, accommodation and subsistence costs, is not available centrally and could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.

Prisoners: Foreign Nationals

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the oral answer of 15 October 2013, Official Report, columns 681-2W, on prisoners: foreign national, how many of the foreign national offenders listed in that answer (a) have been released, (b) have been deported and (c) are still detained; and if he will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Home Department.
	The following table shows the number of foreign national offenders listed in the answer of 15 October 2013, Official Report, columns 681-2W, on prisoners: foreign national who have been (a) released, (b) have been deported and (c) are still detained.
	
		
			  Number 
			 Released 49 
			 Deported/Removed 200 
			 Detained (Immigration Detention or Custodial) 14 
			 Concluded 36 
			 Grand total 299 
			 Notes: 1. ‘Released’ and ‘Detained’ figures from live Criminal Casework data as of 27 January 2014. 2. ‘Deported/Removed’ figures taken from published FNO removals data—January 2010 to September 2013 and current financial year data to 25 January 2014. 3. ‘Concluded’ relates to cases that have been concluded as a result of an allowed appeal/grant of leave to remain, or no longer of interest to Criminal Casework.

Prisoners: Foreign Nationals

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many foreign national prisoners have been given temporary release to attend interviews at immigration detention centres operated under contract to the UK Border Agency in each month of the last three years.

Jeremy Wright: Central data is not held on how many foreign national prisoners have been given release on temporary licence and for what reasons. This information could only be obtained by a manual check of the records of all instances of prisoners being released on temporary license, which would incur disproportionate cost. It is not however, usual practice for foreign national prisoners to be given release on temporary licence for this purpose. In circumstances where the Home Office is required to interview foreign national prisoners, Immigration Enforcement staff will attend the relevant prison to carry out this task.

Prisoners: Self-harm

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to reduce the incidence of self-harm among women in prison.

Jeremy Wright: The Government is committed to reducing the incidence of self-harm in prisons. All prisons are required to have procedures in place to identify, manage and support people who are at risk of harm to themselves. These procedures include the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) process, which is a prisoner-centred, flexible care planning system for prisoners identified as at risk of suicide or self-harm. The ACCT process is designed to ensure that all prisoners are managed in a way that is responsive to individual needs and risks, including those related to gender.

Prisons: Police

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many times, and to which prisons, the police were called out in each month since May 2010.

Jeremy Wright: The police will attend prisons in respect of a range of crimes when requested to do so. The information on the number of times police attend each prison is not recorded centrally. It could be provided only at disproportionate cost by collating the relevant information from records held by each prison establishment.

Prisons: Wrexham

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  if he will publish the shortlist of contractors for the construction of the prison at Wrexham;
	(2)  if he will publish the specifications for the design of the proposed prison at Wrexham.

Jeremy Wright: The following companies have been shortlisted as potential prime constructors of the new prison in Wrexham:
	Interserve;
	Carillion;
	Lend Lease; and
	Kier.
	The plan for the new prison in Wrexham is that it will be constructed to Category B standard comprising of three four-storey house blocks with a compound surrounded by a secure fence measuring 5.2 metres.

Probation

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the Magistrates' Association has raised any concerns in respect of the probation change programme.

Jeremy Wright: In May 2013, we published ‘Transforming Rehabilitation—a strategy for reform’, which set out our response to our earlier, wide consultation ‘Transforming Rehabilitation—a revolution in the way we manage offenders’. In producing that document we consulted widely and received nearly 600 formal responses and held 14 consultation events which were attended by over 800 stakeholders. The Magistrates' Association welcomed the Government's intention to have short sentenced prisoners supervised after release and asked a number of questions about the reforms. Officials and Ministers have regular discussions with all stakeholders to the Transforming Rehabilitation Programme, including the Magistrates' Association, and the views received have been invaluable in informing these reforms.

Victim Support Schemes

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to regionalise victims services currently run by Probation Trusts in England and Wales.

Jeremy Wright: The Probation Victim Contact Scheme (VCS), which was established in 2001, provides valuable support to victims of offenders who receive a sentence of imprisonment of 12 months or more or a hospital order for a violent or sexual offence. The VCS enables victims to be informed of key stages of an offender's sentence, such as if they are transferred to open conditions or released. Victims also have the statutory right to make representations about the licence conditions to which the offender should be subject on release, to re-assure and protect them.
	In cases where the offender's case is reviewed by the Parole Board, victims have a right to submit a victim personal statement to the Parole Board, setting out the impact of the offence against them, and what the impact of release will be. If the Parole Board holds an oral hearing, victims can apply to read their statement to the Parole Board panel, with the presumption that this will be agreed. The new Victims' Code, which was published in October 2013, enshrines the entitlement for victims to make a VPS to the Parole Board.
	Currently, each Probation Trust has responsibility for the operation of the Victim Contact Scheme. Under the Transforming Rehabilitation Programme, the Victim Contact Scheme will be delivered by the new National Probation Service (NPS). The NPS will be divided into six regions and one nation (Wales), and each region will have responsibility for the operation of the Victim Contact Scheme.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Betting Shops

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  when the regulations governing the staffing of betting shops were last reviewed; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment her Department has made of the arrangements to ensure the safety of staff single-working in betting shops; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  what recent representations her Department has received on the safety of staff working on their own in betting shops.

Helen Grant: Like any workplace, betting premises must operate within the requirements of the Hearth and Safety at Work Act and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. In addition, the Gambling Act 2005 provides powers to local authorities to attach conditions to a betting shop's premises licence to ensure that it meets its obligations in upholding the licensing objectives of the Act; the Government regularly reviews and assesses the effectiveness of these measures.
	There is evidence that some local authorities are using these powers to good effect to impose licence conditions on betting shops including a requirement to have a minimum of two members of staff on duty throughout the whole day. I receive representations on a range of matters in relation to betting shops.

Buildings

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of the office space owned or leased by her Department is not in regular use; what the total (a) rental and (b) retail value is of all such unused office space; and if she will place in the Library a copy of her most recent departmental real estate valuation.

Helen Grant: The Department only occupies leased office accommodation, through operating leases. All of the office space leased by the Department is in regular use.

Local Broadcasting

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with Ofcom on the position of local television stations in Wales and Scotland on the electronic programme guide.

Edward Vaizey: As set out in Connectivity, Content, Consumers: Britain's Digital Platform for Growth, we want to maintain the prominence of our Public Service Broadcasters (PSBs), and we intend to launch a consultation shortly on how best to do so. In that context, my officials have had a number of discussions with Ofcom about the prominence of PSB channels, including local TV services, in light of the specific concerns of local TV stations in Scotland and Wales.

Northern Ireland

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assets her Department has sold in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; and what the value of each such sale was.

Helen Grant: The Department sold no assets in Northern Ireland in the last five years.

Tourism: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment in the Northern Ireland Executive on promoting Northern Ireland as a tourist destination.

Helen Grant: I have not held any discussions with the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment in the Northern Ireland Executive on promoting Northern Ireland as a tourist destination since tourism is a devolved matter. The cross-government GREAT campaign does promote tourism to the United Kingdom as a whole.

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to the Government's commitment to give due consideration to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) when making new policy and legislation, if she will place in the Library all assessments of how new policy and legislation from her Department since January 2013 has given due consideration to the UNCRC.

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will place in the Library all assessments of new policy and legislation undertaken by her Department since January 2013 which give due consideration to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Helen Grant: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is committed to considering the impact of all new policies and legislation, including where they impact specifically on children. The Department consults with a range of expert groups, including the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, to ensure the best interests of a child are represented within our work.
	More widely, the coalition Government is due to report to the UN Committee responsible for the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child shortly. The Department for Education is co-ordinating the response with contributions from other Government Departments, including the work that the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has undertaken. Once the Government has submitted its response to the UN Committee, a copy will be placed in the House Library.

CABINET OFFICE

Criminal Investigation

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which organisation his Department and its subsidiary bodies use to tackle internal instances of crime, including corruption and fraud; and whether he has designated this organisation or any individual within it to grant authorisation for carrying out directed surveillance under section 28 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.

Nick Hurd: The Department for Communities and Local Government provides internal audit services through shared services for the Cabinet Office, including the investigation of reported frauds.
	The choice of type and means of investigation will be based on the circumstances of the case and be proportionate to the seriousness of the suspected offence.
	No organisation or individual has been granted authorisation to carry out directed surveillance under section 28 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act.

Public Appointments

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  which paid public appointment contracts he has (a) renewed and (b) not renewed since May 2010; and how many posts were held by (i) women and (ii) men;
	(2)  what the titles are of the individual public appointments that have been made by his Department since May 2010; and which of those appointees were women;
	(3)  which paid public appointment contracts No. 10 Downing Street has (a) renewed and (b) not renewed since May 2010; and how many posts were held by (i) women and (ii) men.

Francis Maude: The Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.
	I refer my hon. Member to the answer I gave on 5 February 2014, Official Report, column 301W.
	Figures in relation to diversity for public appointments within the jurisdiction of the Commission for Public Appointments for 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 can be found on the website at:
	http://publicappointmentscommissioner.independent.gov.uk/
	Copies are also available in the Library of the House.

Re-employment

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2014, Official Report, column 216W, on re-employment, what the total cost was of those redundancies.

Nick Hurd: In line with the practice of previous Administrations exact numbers and costs are not usually disclosed to protect individual privacy when numbers are five or fewer.

HEALTH

Abortion

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 3 February 2014, Official Report, columns 65-66W, on abortion, if his Department will review data collection protocols in order to record how many doctors have been challenged to defend their decision to refer for an abortion and how many such challenges have been overturned.

Jane Ellison: The Abortion Regulations 1991 require that registered medical practitioners notify the chief medical officer on form HSA4 of every abortion they have performed. The information required to be completed on the HSA4 form is set out in the regulations. There are no plans to amend the regulations or the HSA4 form to collect information on whether one or both of the certifying doctors have been challenged about their decision that there are grounds for an abortion.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Dental Services

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the cost to the NHS is of patients who require emergency dental treatment presenting at accident and emergency departments;
	(2)  how many patients presented at (a) GP surgeries and (b) accident and emergency departments with dental problems in each of the last three years.

Daniel Poulter: Information is not collected centrally on the cost to the national health service of patients presenting at accident and emergency (A and E) departments who require emergency dental treatment or on how many patients presented at general practitioner surgeries with dental problems.
	Information is available on the number of A and E attendances where the patient's first' treatment was dental treatment. For the years 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 this is set out in the following table.
	
		
			 Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			 First A and E treatment Number of A and E attendances 
			 2010-11 3,505 
			 2011-12 17,388 
			 2012-13 14,527 
			 Notes: 1. HES figures are available from 2007-08 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage and changes in NHS practice. 2. Specifically in 2010-11 there were over four million records with invalid or no data in the treatment field; in 2011-12 this reduced to over one million records. Comparisons between, treatment data in those years are therefore unlikely to be meaningful. 3. HES is not the official source of total A and E activity, this is the NHS England situation reports collection: www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/ 4. However, HES permits further analysis of A and E activity as there are a range of data items by which HES can be analysed. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The Health and Social Care Information Centre

Dental Services

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of people are not registered with either an NHS dentist or a private dentist in each region.

Daniel Poulter: 1.3 million more people have seen an NHS dentist since May 2010 with nearly 30 million people seeing a dentist in a two year period in the NHS.
	Information is not available on numbers of patients registered with an NHS dentist. The NHS remuneration system has not. included registration since the contractual changes of 2006. Patients do not register with an NHS dentist to receive NHS care. The closest equivalent measure to ‘registration’ is the number of patients receiving NHS dental services (‘patients seen’) over a 24 month period. However, this is not directly comparable to registration data.
	The following table provides the numbers of patients seen by an NHS dentist and the percentage of population in the 24-month period ending 30 September 2013 in England, broken down by Region.
	
		
			  Patients seen Patients seen as a percentage of the population1 
			 England 29,802,414 56.1 
			 North of England 9,222,116 61.1 
			 Midlands and East of England 9,142,116 56.7 
			 London 4,143,634 50.5 
			 South of England 7,294,548 53.3 
			 1 The patients seen measure shows the number of patients who received NHS dental care in the previous 24 months, where their last Course of Treatment (CoT) started within the past 24 months. An equivalent measure covering the 12 month period is not available. Note: Percentage of the population figures use Office for National Statistics mid-year population estimate for 2011 as these were the latest available at the time of publication. These figures will be subject to revision in future reports once newer population figures are available.

General Practitioners: Telephone Services

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of calls made on (a) higher rate and (b) 0845 telephone numbers to GP surgeries in England in each year since 2007.

Daniel Poulter: The requested information is not collected centrally.
	Regulations introduced in 2010 prevented general practitioner practices from entering into, renewing or extending a contract for telephone services unless it was satisfied that, looking at the arrangements as a whole, patients would not pay more to make calls to the practice than they would to make calls to a geographical number.

Health

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what visits Dame Carol Black has made since her appointment to promote the Public Health Responsibility Deal partners to (a) small and medium size enterprises, (b) other private companies, (c) public sector bodies and (d) third-sector organisations.

Jane Ellison: As part of her role helping the Government to promote the Public Health Responsibility Deal, Dame Carol Black visits many organisations and undertakes a large number of speaking and other engagements. This includes the work she does as Principal of Newnham College. She is not a Department of Health employee and the Department does not keep a record of her engagements.

Health Services: Greater London

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many healthcare assistants there were in each NHS trust in London in the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: Information on the numbers of clinical support staff employed by each national health service organisation in London for each year during the period 2008 to 2012 has been placed in the Library.

Heart Diseases: Sugar

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research he has commissioned on the effect of sugar consumption on heart disease.

Daniel Poulter: The Department has not commissioned any research specifically on the effect of sugar consumption on heart disease.
	The Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has awarded nearly £10 million over five years to the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre in nutrition. The centre's research in nutrition addresses health impacts across the entire lifecourse, particularly in tackling later life development of chronic diseases such as heart disease, obesity and diabetes.

Hospital Beds

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS hospitals have been recorded as having general and acute bed occupancy in excess of 95 per cent on any one day in each of the last 12 months.

Jane Ellison: Information on the number of available and occupied beds open overnight is not collected for every day of the year. A daily collection occurs during winter months to help the national health service manage winter pressures. The most recent information for the period between 4 November 2013 and 5 February 2014 shows that 142 NHS hospital trusts were recorded as having general and acute bed occupancy in excess of 95% on any one day in that period.
	Information on general and acute bed occupancy for a whole 12 month period is only collected every quarter. For the four quarters from October 2012 to September 2013 this shows average general and acute bed occupancy of 88.1%, with 55 NHS hospital trusts having average general and acute bed occupancy in excess of 95% in any one quarter.

Hospitals: Greater London

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many finished admissions episodes there were in the last five years for which figures are available in each NHS trust in London; what the (a) mean and (b) median time waited was in days for (i) hip replacement, (ii) hysterectomy and (iii) cataract removal procedures in each such area; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: The information has been placed in the Library.

Hospitals: Greater London

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many finished admissions episodes there were at (a) North West London Hospitals NHS Trust and (b) all other London hospitals in the last five years for which figures are available; what the (i) mean and (ii) median time waited was in days for cholecystectomy procedures in each such area; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: The information requested is shown in the following tables:
	
		
			 Number of finished admissions episodes (FAEs)1 and mean and median time waited2 (days) for cholecystectomy procedures3 at each London hospital provider, 2008-09 to 2012-13, activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Provider/area FAEs Mean Median FAEs Mean Median FAEs Mean Median 
			 London Strategic Health Authority 6,297 67.5 58 6,334 69.8 63 6,484 74.5 64 
			 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 331 56.5 56 271 73.2 75 327 79.8 77 
			 Spire Roding Hospital — — — — — — 18 — — 
			 BMI—Bishops Wood — — — — — — — — — 
			 BMI—The Blackheath Hospital — — — — — — 8 — — 
			 BMI—Chelsfield Park Hospital — — — — — — 20 — — 
			 BMI—The Clementine Churchill Hospital — — — * — — — — — 
			 BMI—The Kings Oak Hospital — — — * — — * — — 
			 BMI—The London Independent Hospital — — — — —  — — — 
			 BMI—Shirley Oaks Hospital — — — * — — 9 34.0 34 
			 BMI—The Sloane Hospital — — — — — — * —  
			 BMI—The Cavell Hospital — — — — — — — — — 
			 BMI—Fitzroy — — — — — — — — — 
			 North East London NHS Treatment 150 — — — — — — — — 
			 North East London Treatment Centre — — — 29 — — 164 40.0 35 
			 Barts Health NHS Trust — — — — — — — — — 
			 Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust 215 66.1 55 222 69.7 62 306 80.2 74 
			 North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust 168 79.0 64 122 71.8 64 171 116.2 117 
			 The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS 205 44.9 42 205 49.2 47 220 50.4 42 
			 Kingston Hospital NHS Trust 237 87.5 80 222 77.6 76 236 62.3 55 
			 Ealing Hospital NHS Trust 189 54.3 32 187 68.0 70 130 53.9 56 
			 Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust. 449 103.0 88 413 83.4 73 379 95.2 84 
			 West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust 171 49.2 44 203 61.8 56 234 62.7 62 
			 Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS Trust 226 80.9 71 — — — — — — 
			 Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust 346 76.1 69 — — — — — — 
			 Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust 233 62.0 51 230 57.6 54 208 79.1 73 
			 Queen Mary’s Sidcup NHS Trust 199 26.5 27 — — — — — — 
			 Guy's and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust 226 58.7 55 — — — — — — 
			 Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust — — — 233 69.0 61 196 66.7 62 
			 Lewisham Healthcare NHS Trust 158 — — 209 — — 201 — — 
			 Croydon Health Services NHS Trust 216 65.2 56 205 69.0 60 220 66.2 53 
			 St George's Healthcare NHS Trust 165 89.0 82 218 102.6 103 198 126.0 126 
			 King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 272 66.2 55 303 79.3 73 259 95.7 73 
			 The Whittington Hospital NHS Trust 154 52.1 44 145 60.7 55 178 54.4 45 
			 Newham University Hospital NHS Trust 170 48.9 43 203 74.7 68 165 85.8 88 
			 Barts and The London NHS Trust 232 59.0 53 277 64.9 59 284 52.9 41 
			 Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children * — — 7 120.8 97 * — — 
			 The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust 11 14.7 7 9 13.1 9 13 17.8 16 
			 Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 131 73.0 65 150 63.2 51 131 71.5 63 
			 Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 126 59.4 59 156 58.6 54 141 51.8 50 
			 University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 171 64.1 44 159 79.2 61 161 71.3 57 
			 Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust * — — — — — * — — 
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust 386 77.1 68 365 67.6 62 331 59.8 54 
			 Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust 344 68.7 64 348 73.1 72 349 72.9 70 
			 Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust 413 39.2 37 465 62.2 62 457 71.5 68 
			 South London Healthcare NHS Trust — — — 775 63.8 58 760 83.8 65 
		
	
	
		
			  2011-12 2012-13 
			 Provider/area FAEs Mean Median FAEs Mean Median 
			 London Strategic Health Authority 7,367 81.5 68 7,317 81.8 70 
			 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 368 111.6 132 363 86.5 93 
			 Spire Roding Hospital 37 — — 30 21.3 21 
			 BMI—Bishops Wood * — — * — — 
			 BMI—The Blackheath Hospital * — — 26 — — 
			 BMI—Chelsfield Park Hospital * — — * — — 
			 BMI—The Clementine Churchill Hospital 9 — — 46 — — 
			 BMI—The Kings Oak Hospital — — — 9 — — 
			 BMI—The London Independent Hospital — — — * — — 
			 BMI—Shirley Oaks Hospital * — — 18 — — 
			 BMI—The Sloane Hospital * — — — — — 
			 BMI—The Cavell Hospital * — — 13 74.8 72 
			 BMI—Fitzroy * — — * — — 
			 North East London NHS Treatment — — — — — — 
			 North East London Treatment Centre 199 33.1 32 110 28.3 24 
			 Barts Health NHS Trust — — — 756 87.2 83 
			 Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust 267 66.1 58 250 73.5 64 
			 North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust 203 102.1 97 201 90.8 91 
			 The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS 264 51.5 49 264 49.9 43 
			 Kingston Hospital NHS Trust 249 59.5 47 296 72.0 75 
			 Ealing Hospital NHS Trust 139 65.9 61 186 67.1 67 
			 Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust. 496 115.3 111 537 129.3 124 
			 West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust 220 63.2 56 198 65.4 58 
			 Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS Trust — — — — — — 
			 Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust — — — — — — 
			 Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust 251 73.9 60 — — — 
			 Queen Mary’s Sidcup NHS Trust — — — — — — 
			 Guy's and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust — — — — — — 
			 Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust 257 107.9 95 252 91.6 81 
			 Lewisham Healthcare NHS Trust 230 — — 195 — — 
			 Croydon Health Services NHS Trust 276 72.1 63 245 83.7 75 
			 St George's Healthcare NHS Trust 362 102.8 80 296 71.5 61 
			 King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 256 111.8 94 264 153.3 119 
			 The Whittington Hospital NHS Trust 187 55.0 52 170 61.8 56 
			 Newham University Hospital NHS Trust 226 99.6 88 — — — 
			 Barts and the London NHS Trust 287 53.4 45 — — — 
			 Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children * — — * — — 
			 The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust 6 21.0 23 9 14.1 15 
			 Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust 182 75.9 59 228 51.4 41 
			 Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 205 84.4 71 196 78.2 66 
			 University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 139 66.5 61 165 61.4 52 
			 Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust — — — — — — 
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust 308 68.4 62 316 88.2 72 
			 Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust 431 73.0 70 396 80.2 80 
			 Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust 437 97.8 86 487 91.1 72 
		
	
	
		
			 South London Healthcare NHS Trust 857 79.2 72 783 64.6 61 
			 1 Finished admission episodes A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FAEs are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. 2Time waited (days) Time waited (days) statistics from Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are not the same as published Referral to Treatment (RTT) time waited statistics. HES provides counts and time waited for all patients between decision to admit and admission to hospital within a given period. Published RTT waiting statistics measure the time waited between referral and start of treatment. 3Main procedure The first recorded procedure or intervention in each episode, usually the most resource intensive procedure or intervention performed during the episode. It is appropriate to use main procedure when looking at admission details, (e.g. time waited), but a more complete count of episodes with a particular procedure is obtained by looking at the main and the secondary procedures. Notes: 1. Total admissions with eligible time waited information The total number of eligible admissions from which the mean and median time waited are derived. This includes waiting list and booked admissions, but not planned admissions. A waiting list admission is one in which a patient has been admitted electively into hospital from a waiting list, having been given no date of admission at the time a decision to admit was made. Booked admissions are those in which the patient was admitted electively having been given a date at the time it was decided to admit. Planned admissions are excluded as they are usually part of a planned sequence of clinical care determined mainly on clinical criteria, which, for example, could require a series of events, perhaps taking place every three months, six months or annually. Because of this the number of episodes used to generate the mean and median time waited is likely to be lower than the number of FAEs reported in the table. It is the case that some providers do not supply the data required to calculate a time waited on eligible episodes. 2. To protect patient confidentiality, figures between 1 and 5 have been suppressed and replaced with "*" (an asterisk). Where it was possible to identify numbers from the total due to a single suppressed number in a row or column, an additional number (generally the next smallest) has also been suppressed. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre.

Medical Records: Databases

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what systems are in place to monitor the proportion of leaflets advertising the Care.Data scheme that are successfully delivered.

Daniel Poulter: NHS England is in the process of surveying a sample of households to evaluate the effectiveness of the leaflet 'Better information means better care', which includes asking whether they recall receiving the leaflet and how much of it they read. This will ensure that lessons are learnt to incorporate in future national mailings.
	Royal Mail was contracted to deliver the leaflet to every household in England during January 2014.

Medical Records: Databases

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have opted out of the care.data scheme; and how many people he expects to opt-out overall.

Daniel Poulter: There are currently no estimates relating to objection rates as no data extractions have taken place.

Medical Records: Databases

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure all patients are aware of changes to the use of their data.

Daniel Poulter: A leaflet entitled ‘Better information means better care’ has been delivered to households in England. The leaflet explains how information from medical records is used to improve the quality of care and services for all and also explains the choices available to patients about the use and protection of their personal confidential data. The household leaflet is part of a comprehensive range of awareness raising activities, which also includes: leaflets and posters in every general practice in England; articles in newspapers; information on the NHS Choices website and via social media; as well as information cascaded via 350,000 patient groups and charities.

Northern Ireland

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assets his Department has sold in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; and what the value of each such sale was.

Daniel Poulter: The Department has not sold any assets in Northern Ireland over the last five years.

Nurses: Greater London

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) district nurses, (b) health visitors, (c) community psychiatric nurses, (d) community matrons and (e) community learning disabilities nurses were employed by the NHS in each Clinical Commissioning Group area in London in (i) the latest period for which figures are available and (ii) the period 12 months prior to this; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: The information is not collected in the format requested. The following table provides the number of qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff in the previous London Strategic Health Authority (SHA) area by organisation.
	
		
			 National health service hospital and community health services provisional monthly statistics: Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff in the London Strategic Health Authority area1 by organisation and each specified level and area of work as at 31 October each specified year 
			 Full-time equivalent 
			  All qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff Of which: District Nurses Health Visitors Community Matrons Community Psychiatric Nurses Community Learning Disabilities Nurses 
			 Organisation name 2012 2013 2012 2013 2012 2013 2012 2013 2012 2013 2012 2013 
			 London Strategic Health Authority area1 52,321 52,871 1,034 952 1,242 1,309 157 150 1,988 1,909 135 146 
		
	
	
		
			 Barking and Dagenham PCT 2 - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust 1,872 1,850 - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust 1,363 1,322 - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Barney Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust 794 774 18 63 42 52 1 - 193 189 4 5 
			 Baits Health NHS Trust 4,456 4,326 25 25 41 41 1 1 - - 5 3 
			 Bexley Care Trust 7 - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Brent Teaching PCT 10 - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Bromley Healthcare 197 210 42 40 47 50 7 6 - - 6 7 
			 Bromley PCT 10 - 3 - 1 - - - - - - - 
			 Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust 405 422 - - - - - - 164 176 6 5 
			 Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust 1,596 1,915 7 33 66 122 11 17 2 64 5 23 
			 Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust 968 940 52 42 139 142 17 21 1 - 25 17 
			 Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 1,091 1,071 - - 1 1 - - - - - - 
			 City and Hackney Teaching PCT 16 - 1 - - - - - - - - - 
			 Croydon Health Services NHS Trust 912 978 23 20 52 48 8 7 - - 7 8 
			 Ealing Hospital NHS Trust 1,076 1,062 107 57 94 84 9 10 1 1 2 1 
			 Ealing PCT 11 - 5 - 2 - - - - - - - 
			 East London NHS Foundation Trust 1,056 1,066 50 51 43 46 7 5 182 173 - - 
			 Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust 1,334 1,373 - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Great Ormond Street Hospital For Children NHS Foundation Trust 1,201 1,161 - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Greenwich Teaching PCT 5 - 1 - - - - - - - - - 
			 Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust 3,730 3,874 40 31 101 116 13 10 - - 3 9 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham PCT 12 - 0 - - - 1 - - - - - 
			 Havering PCT 2 - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 744 732 - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Hillingdon PCT 7 - 1 - - - - - - - 1 - 
			 Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 1,029 1,067 10 5 49 47 2 - 2 2 - 1 
			 Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare NHS Trust - 249 - 68 - 39 - 14 - - - 4 
			 Hounslow PCT 2 - 1 - - - - - - - - - 
			 Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust 3,152 3,101 - - 2 1 - - - - - - 
			 Islington PCT 26 - 6 - - - 6 - - - - - 
			 Kensington and Chelsea PCT 3 - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 2,477 3,502 - - 1 1 - - - - - - 
			 Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust - 828 - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Kingston Hospital NHS Trust 764 - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Lambeth PCT 5 - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust - 1,888 - 58 - 37 - 15 - - - - 
			 Lewisham Healthcare NHS Trust 960 - 53 - 16 - 9 - - - - - 
			 Lewisham PCT 89 - 12 - 20 - 10 - - - - - 
		
	
	
		
			 London Strategic Health Authority 2 - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 348 349 - - - - - - - - - - 
			 NHS Barnet CCG - 4 - - - - - - - 1 - - 
			 NHS Bexley CCG - 5 - 5 - - - - - - - - 
			 NHS Brent CCG - 10 - - - - - - - - - - 
			 NHS Bromley CCG - 6 - 6 - - - - - - - - 
			 NHS Central London (Westminster) CCG - 4 - - - - - - - - - - 
			 NHS City and Hackney CCG - 1 - - - - - - - - - - 
			 NHS Croydon CCG - 3 - 3 - - - - - - - - 
			 NHS Ealing CCG - 4 - - - 1 - - - - - - 
			 NHS Greenwich CCG - 6 - 6 - - - - - - - - 
			 NHS Harrow CCG - 1 - - - - - - - - - - 
			 NHS Hillingdon CCG - 6 - - - - - - - - - - 
			 NHS Kingston CCG - 1 - - - - - - - - - - 
			 NHS Lambeth CCG - 1 - 1 - - - - - - - - 
			 NHS Lewisham CCG - 4 - 3 - - - - - - - - 
			 NHS Merton CCG - 0 - 0 - - - - - - - - 
			 NHS Redbridge CCG - 3 - - - - - - - - - - 
			 NHS Richmond CCG - 3 - 2 - - - - - - - - 
			 NHS Southwark CCG - 1 - 1 - - - - - - - - 
			 NHS Sutton CCG - 1 - 1 - - - - - - - - 
			 NHS Wandsworth CCG - 5 - 3 - - - - - - - - 
			 North East London NHS Foundation Trust 1,631 1,689 236 184 176 176 29 26 299 278 20 19 
			 North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust 689 806 - - - - - - - - - - 
			 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 1,558 1,597 1 1 4 2 - - - - - - 
			 Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust 1,010 993 66 67 77 72 - - 209 201 11 11 
			 Redbridge PCT 16 - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Richmond and Twickenham PCT 277 - 83 - 43 - 12 - - - 4 - 
			 Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust 1,088 1,140 - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust 1,430 1,367 - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust 1,001 1,016 16 13 55 57 3 3 - - 1 2 
			 Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust 360 373 - - - - - - - - - - 
			 South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust 1,472 1,336 - - - - - - 592 513 6 6 
			 South London Healthcare NHS Trust 1,760 5 0 - 1 - - - - - - - 
			 South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust 599 563 - - - - - - 206 188 7 7 
			 St George's Healthcare NHS Trust 2,368 2,490 39 38 60 61 10 10 - - 4 4 
			 Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust 15 20 - - - - - - 1 - 1 1 
			 University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 2,264 2,406 - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Waltham Forest PCT 3 - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Wandsworth PCT 28 - 10 - 1 - - - - - - - 
			 West London Mental Health NHS Trust 1,079 1,000 - - - - - - 127 115 - - 
			 West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust 618 631 - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Westminster PCT 6 - - - - - - - - - - - 
		
	
	
		
			 Whittington Hospital NHS Trust 1,162 1,161 114 112 86 90 1 3 10 8 12 9 
			 Your Healthcare 154 147 12 13 23 21 2 2 - - 6 6 
			 1 The information in the table is from the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) Provisional Monthly Workforce Statistics. Former London SHA area figures for October 2013 are an aggregate of the Health Education North Central and East London, Health Education North West London, and Health Education South London regions. These statistics relate to the contracted positions within English NHS organisations and may include those where the person assigned to the position is temporarily absent, for example on maternity leave. Monthly data: As from 21 July 2010 the HSCIC has published provisional monthly NHS workforce data. As expected with provisional statistics, some figures may be revised from month to month as issues are uncovered and resolved. The monthly workforce data is not-directly comparable with the annual workforce census; it only includes those staff on the Electronic Staff Record (ESR) (ie it does not include Primary care staff or Bank staff). There are also new methods of presenting data (headcount methodology is different and there is now a role count). This information is available from September 2009 onwards at the following website: www.hscic.gov.uk Note: A few NHS organisations, such as Barking and Dagenham PCT, existed within the ESR database with small numbers of staff as a result of the impact of Transforming Community Services and the resultant system mergers and demergers which were still on-going at the time of the 2012 census.

Nurses: Greater London

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many registered nurses there were in each NHS trust in London in the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: Information showing the number of qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff employed by each NHS organisation in London in each year during the period 2008 to 2012 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 NHS hospital and community health services: Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff in the London strategic health authority area by organisation as at 30 September each specified year 
			 Full-time equivalent 
			 Organisation Name 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 London strategic health authority area total 49,047 50,322 51,839 51,785 51,886 
			       
			 Barking and Dagenham Primary Care Trust (PCT) 185 191 18 15 3 
			 Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust 1,590 1,630 1,638 1,866 1,870 
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust 1,310 1,302 1,301 1,313 1,357 
			 Barnet PCT 302 308 278 279 0 
			 Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust 721 712 652 824 798 
			 Barts and the London NHS Trust 2,161 2,251 2,435 2,531 0 
			 Barts Health NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 4,488 
			 Bexley Care Trust 202 200 7 7 7 
			 Brent Teaching PCT 197 206 211 9 10 
			 Bromley Healthcare 0 0 0 0 197 
			 Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust 698 0 0 0 0 
			 Bromley PCT 236 240 236 212 12 
			 Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust 537 546 542 492 415 
			 Camden PCT 220 215 211 228 0 
			 Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust 1,102 1,105 1,286 1,189 1,591 
			 Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust 0 0 0 687 957 
			 Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 959 1,005 1,050 1,040 1,076 
			 City and Hackney Teaching PCT 241 261 261 26 16 
			 Croydon Health Services NHS Trust 734 742 941 920 884 
			 Croydon PCT 249 261 30 0 0 
			 Ealing Hospital NHS Trust 517 537 524 1,059 1,071 
			 Ealing PCT 263 254 242 10 11 
			 East London NHS Foundation Trust 823 892 888 1,147 1,040 
			 Enfield PCT 205 204 196 1 0 
			 Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust 1,257 1,265 1,268 1,322 1,317 
			 Great Ormond Street Hospital For Children NHS Foundation Trust 1,092 1,119 1,092 1,061 1,137 
			 Greenwich Teaching PCT 233 228 221 5 5 
			 Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust 2,729 2,932 3,026 3,543 3,663 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham PCT 224 210 37 15 12 
			 Haringey Teaching PCT 122 129 144 10 0 
			 Harrow PCT 126 150 146 0 0 
			 Havering PCT 221 555 528 449 2 
		
	
	
		
			 Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 690 730 746 753 720 
			 Hillingdon PCT 199 210 231 233 7 
			 Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 683 698 746 1,012 1,018 
			 Hounslow PCT 133 132 2 2 2 
			 Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust 3,045 3,051 3,206 3,229 3,165 
			 Islington PCT 180 218 222 5 25 
			 Kensington and Chelsea PCT 181 200 700 3 3 
			 King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 1,856 1,926 2,154 2,263 2,410 
			 Kingston Hospital NHS Trust 780 763 764 729 754 
			 Kingston PCT 142 136 2 0 0 
			 Lambeth PCT 263 272 250 4 5 
			 Lewisham Healthcare NHS Trust 752 737 802 955 950 
			 Lewisham PCT 260 257 184 94 86 
			 London Strategic Health Authority 2 3 2 1 2 
			 Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 300 304 320 350 348 
			 Newham PCT 269 287 281 0 0 
			 Newham University Hospital NHS Trust 698 713 750 753 0 
			 North East London NHS Foundation Trust 519 520 711 714 1,617 
			 North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust 564 609 720 730 694 
			 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 1,292 1,308 1,501 1,489 1,556 
			 Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust 601 578 794 1,009 1,016 
			 Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS Trust 704 0 0 0 0 
			 Queen Mary's Sidcup NHS Trust 460 0 0 0 0 
			 Redbridge PCT 199 105 84 85 15 
			 Richmond and Twickenham PCT 153 157 292 269 283 
			 Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust 915 965 1,027 1,079 1,079 
			 Royal Free London IMHS Foundation Trust 1,477 1,527 1,547 1,560 1,416 
			 Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust. 583 683 735 743 994 
			 Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust 322 325 338 351 350 
			 South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust 1,670 1,635 1,530 1,472 1,472 
			 South London Healthcare NHS Trust 0 1,866 1,809 1,809 1,745 
			 South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust 738 729 693 671 599 
			 Southwark PCT 247 229 210 0 0 
			 St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust 1,693 1,772 2,287 2,319 2,329 
			 Sutton and Merton PCT 311 277 258 239 0 
			 Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust 6 10 14 14 15 
			 Tower Hamlets PCT 337 327 304 0 0 
			 University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 1,888 1,977 2,123 2,202 2,231 
			 Waltham Forest PCT 204 9 10 4 3 
			 Wandsworth PCT 351 366 15 33 28 
			 West London Mental Health NHS Trust. 1,291 1,266 1,290 1,199 1,080 
			 West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust 660 682 698 638 612 
			 Westminster PCT 279 290 8 3 6 
			 Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust 998 1,077 1,141 1,162 0 
			 Whittington Hospital NHS Trust 698 753 783 1,199 1,154 
			 Your Healthcare 0 0 141 148 156 
			 Data Quality: The Health and Social Care Information Centre seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality where changes impact on figures already published. This is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses. Notes: 1. Full time equivalent figures are rounded to the nearest whole number. 2. These statistics relate to the contracted positions within English NHS organisations and may include those where the person assigned to the position is temporarily absent, for example on maternity leave. 3. As a consequence of TCS (Transforming Community Services) the former provider arm of some PCTs may have transferred into local acute trusts, this can be seen in the large decrease in staff in Barnet PCT, and large increase in staff numbers at Barts NHS Trust for example. Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census

Obesity: Sugar

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect of sugar on obesity levels.

Jane Ellison: The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, a committee of experts who advise the Government on nutrition issues, is currently reviewing the evidence on sugar as part of its Carbohydrates and Health review. This will include evaluating the scientific literature on sugar and obesity. We know that people are eating more sugar than the Government recommends. There is broad consensus that obesity is the result of a very large number of factors, which include the built environment, inactivity and consuming too many calories than the body needs (irrespective of whether these come from sugar or fat).

Parental Leave

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on the mandatory introduction of a bereavement policy on all businesses available to a parent whose child had died.

Norman Lamb: There have been no discussions with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), on the mandatory introduction of a bereavement policy on all businesses, available to a parent whose child has died.

Pregnancy

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will issue guidance to (a) midwives and (b) GPs on reduced fetal movements during the third trimester of pregnancy to ensure that (i) appropriate measures are taken by healthcare professions, (ii) expectant mothers receive the best advice on precautions and (iii) best practice is shared throughout the health service;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to improve education on pregnancy and maternity for the prevention or avoidance of (a) stillbirths, (b) children born with fetal alcohol syndrome and (c) infant deaths due to pregnant women (i) smoking, (ii) having a high body mass index, (iii) drinking six or more units of alcohol at one time and (iii) bad nutrition; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what recent assessment he has made of the effects of introducing a universal 30 week pregnancy scan on identifying placenta complications leading to stillbirths; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what assessment he has made of the five point pregnancy plan developed by Tommy's; what recent assessment he has made of the benefits of a national campaign on pregnancy health to reduce rates of perinatal mortality; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: The Department is working with partners, including NHS England, Public Health England, the Royal College of Midwives and the Royal College of General Practitioners, to agree and disseminate public health messages for pregnant women and health care professionals to raise awareness of the known risk factors for stillbirth and the actions that can be taken to reduce those risks. Reduced fetal movement will form part of this.
	The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has published evidence-based guidance for health professionals and advice for pregnant women on reduced fetal movements. This information is available on their website at:
	www.rcog.org.uk/files/rcog-corp/Your%20Baby's%20Movements%20in%20Pregnancy_0.pdf
	www.rcog.org.uk/files/rcog-corp/GTG57RFM25022011.pdf
	To inform the evidence base for future guidance, AFFIRM (Awareness of Fetal Movements and Focussing Interventions Reduce Fetal Mortality), a four-year research study is conducting into whether promoting awareness of fetal movements can help reduce stillbirths. The study is expected to report in 2017.
	The aim of Public Health England's Start4Life campaign is to increase the number of healthy babies and children under five through the adoption of healthy behaviours. Since May 2012, the campaign has delivered messages to pregnant women about the healthy behaviours that they should adopt in pregnancy: quitting smoking, cutting down on alcohol, healthy eating, physical activity and taking folic acid and vitamin D. These have been primarily delivered through healthcare settings such as via leaflets and posters in general practitioners' surgeries and through supplying resources to midwives. There was also a programme of paid for communications from November 2012 to March 2013, which included paid search on internet search engines, advertising on Baby TV and a long-term magazine partnership with Hearst publishing.
	At the end of January 2014, Start4Life merged with the NHS Information Service for Parents, a digital service for parent-to-be and new parents which sends both mums and dads regular free emails, videos and SMS messages with advice and information from a trust source about pregnancy and the first eighteen months with a baby, to form one service for the provision of information and advice to parents-to-be, which should enable us to make this key health information even more widely known among the target audience.
	There is no compelling evidence that the introduction of a universal 30-week pregnancy scan would be an effective method of identifying placenta problems leading to stillbirth. Previous studies have not shown an improvement in predicting or preventing stillbirths and neonatal deaths using universal scans in all women. There is currently a large research study (>4,000 women) at the University of Cambridge funded through the National Institute for Health Research which is assessing the benefit of serial growth scans in low risk women to identify placental problems such as growth restriction and improve stillbirth rate.
	The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), has not made an assessment of Tommy's five point pregnancy plan.
	For the best health outcomes, it is important women engage with maternity services at an early stage. Seeing a midwife early in pregnancy helps women stay healthy and get the right care and advice about maintaining a healthy lifestyle during and after pregnancy. This will also help ensure that women have their personal needs assessed appropriately through an individualised plan of care.
	Between May 2010 and October 2013, midwives in the national health service increased by over 1,500 and there are also over 5,000 midwives in training who will qualify in the next three years.

Re-employment

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2014, Official Report, column 160W, on re-employment, what the total cost was of that redundancy.

Daniel Poulter: As the number of individuals involved is five or fewer the Department cannot disclose exact amounts as to do so may breach confidentiality.

Spinal Injuries

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to ensure that health professionals with expertise in spinal cord injury are included in multidisciplinary teams for continuing health care;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to ensure that spinal cord injured people have access to NHS continuing health care and that the ruling on the case of Pamela Coughlan 1999 is adhered to.

Norman Lamb: Individuals who are assessed as having a ‘primary health need’ as set out in the ‘National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care’ will be eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare. Eligibility is based on an individual's assessed needs—it is not condition specific or based on their diagnosis. However, the assessment does require a clear, reasoned decision, based on evidence of needs from a comprehensive assessment. The assessment should look at the totality of an individual's needs and draw on those who have direct knowledge of the individual and their needs. It should also make use of existing specialist assessments, and should make referrals for other specialist assessments whenever that is appropriate.
	While as a minimum requirement a multidisciplinary team can comprise two professionals from different health care professions, the National Framework makes it clear that the multidisciplinary team should usually include both health and social care professionals, who are knowledgeable about the individual's health and social care needs.
	The Decision Support Tool for NHS Continuing Healthcare supports practitioners in identifying the individual's needs, which, combined with the practitioners skills, knowledge and professional judgment, should enable them to apply the primary health need test in practice, in a way that is consistent with the limits on what can lawfully be provided by a local authority, in accordance with the Coughlan judgment.

Spinal Injuries

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the process for monitoring the level of care that individuals with severe spinal cord injuries are receiving from their immediate provider.

Norman Lamb: As with all service contracts, commissioners are responsible for monitoring quality, access and patient experience within the context of provider performance.
	From 1 April 2013, NHS England became responsible for commissioning spinal cord injury services provided by the specialised centres in England. By moving from a local to a national system, it is intended that such specialised services are consistently high-quality, equitable and effective. National health service area teams around the country lead on the contract and performance management of providers in their area for all specialised services for all patients in England. By using a single national set of service specifications, standards, policies and quality measures, the quality of spinal injury services in the NHS should continually improve.

Streptococcus

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the reason was for his Department's decision not to introduce Enriched Culture Medium testing for Group B Strep on 1 January 2014. despite Ministers' previous commitment to do this; and who took that decision.

Daniel Poulter: The chief medical officer requested the former Health Protection Agency (HPA) to make recommendations for the introduction of a more accurate test for group B streptococcus (GBS) called enriched culture medium (ECM), and make it available in its regional laboratories when there was a clinical indication for testing.
	In response to this, Public Health England (PHE, formerly the HPA) undertook a piece of work with clinical organisations, including the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, to determine whether there are any circumstances in which the ECM test could be applied within the current standard of care.
	This work by PHE concluded in December 2013 that there are no clinical indications for testing women for GBS using ECM methods as recommended within current guidance from the key professional bodies, and therefore no indications which should prompt the offer of an ECM test.
	The UK National Screening Committee also recommended in 2012 that a programme of universal screening of pregnant women at 35 weeks for GBS should not be established in the United Kingdom.

Sugar

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of daily calorie intake was provided by added sugar for a (a) male child, (b) female child, (c) male adult and (d) female adult in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: Data on added sugar intakes (including sugar from fruit juice and honey) are collected in the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS). The most recent data available are from 2008-09 to 2010-11. These results can be compared with data from earlier surveys carried out in 2000-01 for adults, 1994-95 for older adults and 1997 for children. The average percentage of energy intake from added sugar for adults and children in the recent and earlier NDNS are shown in tables 1 and 2.
	
		
			 Table 1: Mean percentage of food energy intake from added sugar: Males 
			 Age 2008-09 to 2010-111 2000-012 19972 1994-952 
			 4-10 years 14.4 3— 17.2 3— 
			 11-18 years 15.6 3— 16.4 3— 
			 19-64 years 12.8 13.5 3— 3— 
			 65+ years 11.8 3— 3— 13.0 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Mean percentage of food energy intake from added sugar: Females 
			 Age 2008-09 to 2010-111 2000-012 19971 1994-952 
			 4-10 years 14.7 3— 17.1 3— 
		
	
	
		
			 11-18 years 15.0 3— 15.8 3— 
			 19-64 years 11.8 12.0 3— 3— 
			 65+ years 11.1 3— 3— 11.3 
			 1 Bates B, Lennox A, Prentice A, Bates C, Swan G (2012) National Diet and Nutrition Survey: Headline results from Years 1, 2 and 3 (combined) of the Rolling Programme (2008-09 to 2010-11). 2 Published in Bates B, Lennox A, Bates C, Swan G (2011) National Diet and Nutrition Survey: Headline results from Years 1 and 2 (combined) of the Rolling Programme (2008-09 to 2009-10). 3 No data available in this year.

Sugar

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish a list of meetings he has attended in which the issue of sugar consumption was discussed in the last 12 months.

Jane Ellison: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), meets with public health stakeholders, food and drinks companies on a regular basis. A variety of topics around diet and calorie reduction, including sugar consumption, are discussed.
	Details of all ministerial meetings with external parties are published quarterly in arrears on the Department's website. The latest publication can be found on the Department's website at:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-external-meetings-2012-to-2013?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State recently met with Professor Graham MacGregor, Chairman of ‘Action on Sugar’, the right hon. Member for Leicester East (Keith Vaz), and others to discuss sugar consumption.

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the Government's commitment to give due consideration to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) when making new policy and legislation, if he will place in the Library all assessments of how new policy and legislation from his Department since January 2013 has given due consideration to the UNCRC.

Daniel Poulter: The Department of Health is committed to giving due consideration of the UN convention on the rights of the child (UNCRC) during the policy-making process. The Department of Health consults with a range of expert groups to ensure the best interests of children are represented within our work. For example, in October 2013, the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), received a report from the Children and Young People's Health Outcomes Forum on the issues raised in the report by Robert Francis QC as they relate to children and young people. Their report was informed by the views of children and young people, including those gathered by on their behalf the National Children's Bureau, one of the Department's strategic partners.
	The United Kingdom Government is due to report to the UN Committee responsible for the UNCRC shortly. The Department for Education is co-ordinating the response from other Government Departments, including the work that the Department of Health has undertaken. Once the Government has submitted its response to the UN Committee a copy of the response will be placed in the Library.

Young People: Crimes of Violence

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent discussions his Department has had with the Home Department on youth violence;
	(2)  which Minister in his Department is a member of the inter-ministerial group on gang culture; and on what dates that Minister has attended meetings of the group.

Jane Ellison: Ending gang and youth violence is a Government priority to which the Department contributes. The Ending Youth and Gang Violence Inter-ministerial Group falls within the portfolio of the Public Health Minister who attended the IMG meetings held on 21 January, 20 June and 17 October 2013 at the Home Office. My noble Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Earl Howe, attended the most recent meeting on 4 February on my behalf.
	Ministers and officials in the Department have met with the Home Office as part of the process of policy development and delivery. My office is arranging a meeting with the Minister for Crime Prevention, my hon. Friend the Member for Lewes (Norman Baker), in April to discuss youth violence.